Nottingham, June 28 (IANS) England captain Ben Stokes was given a stirring guard of honour by both his England teammates and New Zealand players at Trent Bridge on Sunday after announcing his shock retirement from international cricket.

Barely an hour after the England and Wales Cricket Board announced that Stokes would retire after the third Test against New Zealand, emotional scenes unfolded in Nottingham. Shortly after the tea break on day four, England players formed a guard of honour as their captain walked out to bat. The two New Zealand batters joined the tribute. The entire Trent Bridge crowd stood to applaud one of England’s greatest cricketers in a touching farewell.

The tribute came after Stokes shocked the cricket world by revealing that the match would be his final international game.

This announcement capped a dramatic week for the England captain. Stokes had just returned to the team after missing the second Test due to an off-field incident outside a Chelsea nightclub involving England fast bowler Gus Atkinson after the opening Test.

The celebrations following the first Test turned into a disciplinary matter, with both players facing separate investigations by the ECB and the Cricket Regulator. Although they were cleared of any serious issues, Stokes and Atkinson received written warnings.

During the investigations, selectors left both players out of the squad for the second Test, directing them to represent their county sides instead. Both performed well in the County Championship before being recalled midway through their county matches for the series-deciding Test at Trent Bridge.

Back as captain, Stokes made an immediate impact. He took four wickets in New Zealand’s first innings and scored 15 in England’s reply. He added two more wickets in the second innings as New Zealand declared at 288/9, setting England a target of 373 to win the final Test and secure the series.

–IANS

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