The last international innings of Ben Stokes as a batter was not a memorable one. Opening the innings in a tricky chase against New Zealand on Sunday, 28 June, he swung merrily before falling for a cameo of 30 from 20 deliveries. Of course, the England Test captain could not have cared less after announcing his retirement from all forms of international cricket with immediate effect earlier in the day.

The stage for arguably England's greatest all-rounder since Ian Botham to walk away ought to have been grander — ideally during The Ashes later this year Down Under. That was the arena where Stokes produced one of his superhuman efforts at Headingley in 2019. But the larger-than-life character was clearly done with his dealings with the country's uptight cricket establishment, with little motivation left to carry on.

It was not the first time that Stokes had found himself in the eye of a storm. The most conspicuous episode came in 2017, when he was arrested outside a Bristol nightclub following a brawl. The latest came after England's first Test win, when Stokes and pace bowler Gus Atkinson........

© National Herald