Ben Stokes sounded at peace with his decision to retire from England duty five weeks ago during a two-hour podcast interview with his old teammates Stuart Broad and Jos Buttler. The former England captain also made clear he is “definitely” retired, although he will continue to play for Durham and in franchise cricket.
There was no hint of a possible U-turn when the Ashes returns home next summer, and there was little sense that this first interview since he stepped away would be heavy on regret. Stokes instead reflected on captaincy, England’s winter in Australia, the team’s culture, and the future of the Test side.
He admitted he had put “way too much” on his own shoulders as England captain rather than delegate more responsibility to others. He also said the team could have communicated better in Australia last winter, particularly after losing a commanding position in Perth.
Stokes spoke openly about cricket’s relationship with alcohol, saying the sport has a drinking culture that has not kept pace with its increasing professionalism.
[It] has been the same since the 1980s
He added:
As the game has got better and better and better, that thing has just stayed around.
At the same time, he was not prepared to dwell on the team’s failings in the 4-1 Ashes defeat, which English cricket is still trying to move on from. Nor did he show much embarrassment about the farewell against New Zealand at Trent Bridge that many felt was overly self-indulgent.
Beyond concerns about the side’s game awareness at times, Stokes said few decisions over the past year would have been made differently. He said everyone in Australia was on the same page and there had been no tactical split from Brendon McCullum. He also said the Noosa mid-tour break, which drew headlines and raised questions about the team’s off-field habits, would be repeated.
For all of that, this was still an interesting interview from an all-action all-rounder who, like Ian Botham before him, prefers to move forward rather than look back. The most notable discussion came when he addressed his successor as Test captain.
Stokes and Joe Root remain extremely close within English cricket, and he offered his best wishes for the future of the side. He said England had chosen a “great man” in Stephen Fleming, whom he has previously worked with at Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
But Stokes also voiced concern that Root may be returning to what became an “unhealthy relationship” with the job by the end of his first spell in charge. Those concerns, he said, are shared by others as well.
He just always puts the team first and he always comes second
Stokes continued:
That’s my only concern with it, knowing what he went through last time. Because I don’t want to see that ever happen again. I care for Joe a lot.
He also said, as he had at the end of his last Test, that he felt Harry had been left out of the vice-captaincy. He questioned the message that sent, and he also criticised Brook for not stepping up while Stokes was suspended for the second Test against New Zealand and Root was reintroduced.
Those comments amounted to rare direct criticism of the current regime. Just as significant, though, were the moments when Stokes chose not to answer questions. The most notable came when he was asked about the night out with Gus Atkinson after the Lord’s Test this summer and the disciplinary action that followed.
A question about the team curfew and who knew what was avoided, with Stokes instead making jokes about being better off going to McDonald’s for a Filet-O-Fish that night. Even so, there was a clear sense of unease about how events were handled by his former employers at the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Stokes said:
I’m not going to lie and say that there might have been some other things that contributed to the decision [to retire]
He added:
But I’m not here today to go into all that detail. I think there’s a time and a place for that.
And now isn’t that time because, you know, I don’t want to come across as, you know, bitter towards anyone yet. Cause I’m chilled right now.
The word “yet” carried obvious weight. Stokes said he did not want to damage the England team, but he was likely aware that saying too much now could lessen the value of a future book or another project of that kind. He said the main reason for retirement was the way he had stretched himself during the five-month gap after Australia.
Aside from a fractured cheekbone sustained in the nets at Durham, which he said was not relevant to his decision to quit, Stokes admitted he overthought and overtrained during the long break, leaving himself anything but Test-ready.
He also said at one stage that McCullum might still have been Test head coach, rather than moving into the white-ball role, if Stokes had not retired from England duty. He did not expand further on that point.
Listening to him speak, and noting another shouldering of arms when he was asked about his relationship with team director Rob Key, it was difficult to avoid the impression that if regime change had happened earlier and more fully, Stokes might not have been speaking as a former England cricketer.
