Ben Stokes announces retirement from international cricket

This article appeared as part of the Daily Sensemaker newsletter – one story a day to make sense of the world. To receive it in your inbox, featuring content exclusive to the newsletter, sign up for free here.

England captain Ben Stokes will retire from international cricket after the current Test against New Zealand. The sudden announcement comes amid an investigation into a nightclub punch that took place as England celebrated their first win of the series against New Zealand earlier this month. The incident highlighted the strong drinking culture within the team and led to Stoke’s temporary suspension for breaking a midnight curfew, imposed after a series of alcohol-related controversies during recent tours. The 35-year-old is one of the game’s greatest all-rounders, as one of only two players in Test history to score over 7,000 runs and take over 250 wickets, and he was the hero of England’s 2019 World Cup final win, which is widely regarded as one of the best cricket games ever. But he also has a history of off-field antics.