Prateek Tanmay
3 min readJun 30, 2026 04:47 PM IST
After Ben Stokes caught the cricketing world off guard when he announced his retirement from international cricket in the middle of the 3rd England vs New Zealand Test on Sunday, England head coach Brendon McCullum revealed that he had tried to coax the then-England captain to reconsider his decision.
“When he confirmed to me that he was going to retire, first I tried to talk him down and… (it) became pretty obvious that he had made his decision and he was at peace within,” McCullum told Sky Sports.
“From that point of view, I guess your emotion then leads on to just a bit of sadness really because you have been on this journey together for four years and it’s been a real thrill. I feel very privileged that I’ve been able to work intimately with Stokesy throughout that and consider him a friend, a good friend,” he added.
Stokes’ last match in England whites ended in defeat when they lost the third match to the Kiwis by 160 runs, also conceding the series 2-1. McCullum though, praised the outgoing player as a leader of men.
“He is a leader of men, people follow him wherever he goes, whether that’s on the field, whether that’s in the dressing room, whether that’s at the team hotel, people follow him because he’s a vivacious character and he’s a big presence and he has conviction in his thoughts and his methods. In a game of cricket, which has so many variables and inconsistencies, that is one level of consistency that he brings…he truly believes in every situation. I think that adds a real sense of calm to a lot of people around him,” he said.
“So we are going to miss Ben, we’re going to miss that presence, we’re going to miss his leadership and his performance and it is difficult to replace someone like that. I was quite strong in my opinions that I thought we should get it out there when we could because I think he’s been a cricketer that’s been able to transcend the sport into other aspects of society and the popularity throughout society. I felt that the people that have supported Ben and this cricket team over the last 13 years since he’s been involved, deserve the opportunity to say goodbye and to show their appreciation for how much he means to them with one final walk out there,” he added.
