Stokes firmly maintained that he was completely burnt out and ready to step away.
His retirement brings a curtain down on a magnificent 15-year career, leaving a lasting legacy as one of England's greatest all-rounders.
Despite England head coach Brendon McCullum pleading with him to "slow down" and reconsider, Stokes firmly maintained that he was completely burnt out and ready to step away.
“Well, first of all, when he told me, I tried to talk him out of it. I said, ‘Slow down’. I said, ‘Slow down, let’s just think about this’. And he said, ‘No, Baz, I am done’. And then we sort of sat silent for about 10 seconds,” said McCullum on BBC Test Match Special after England lost the Nottingham Test by 160 runs to concede series 1-2 to New Zealand.
“And then I said, ‘I feel a bit sad. And he said, ’I know'. He said, ‘I’m happy, and I'm content with everything. You know the time has come. I had a bit of an idea that this might happen. I wasn't sure when that may be. But I guess, when he did say, it kind of made sense,” he added.
McCullum also shared that Stokes had made up his mind and was adamant about it. The former New Zealand captain hailed the all-rounder as an “inspiration.”
“He had made up his mind, and it became pretty obvious that he was keen to step away. From there, it turned to just a bit sad, really. Sad because for four years we've worked intimately together and we've been through a lot together,” McCullum stated
“He was an inspiration to work with. I call him a good friend and wish him all the best for the future,” he remarked.
Ben Stokes' retirement followed intense scrutiny regarding an off-field controversy. Hours after winning the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's, Stokes and teammate Gus Atkinson breached a midnight curfew at a Chelsea nightclub, where an altercation took place involving a Saracens rugby player and an ECB security guard.
While Stokes was dropped from the second Test at The Oval on disciplinary grounds during the investigation, the independent Cricket Regulator and the ECB later cleared both players of violent conduct, noting insufficient evidence of regulatory breaches.
Ever since the nightclub episode, speculations were rife about Stokes' international retirement and it was on Day 4 of the third Test against New Zealand that he made the official announcement.
Stokes, who played a key role in England’s 2019 ODI World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup triumphs, made it clear that there would be no U-turn on his international retirement decision.
“I am incredibly content with everything right now. It is a decision I don't take lightly. It has taken a lot of time. I am done. I am very happy,” said Stokes.
When asked again if he was sure, Stokes replied: "Sure."
Ben Stokes ended his international career after playing 122 Test matches, 114 ODIs, and 43 T20Is. Across these games, he cemented his legacy as one of the greatest all-rounders ever, scoring over 11,000 runs and taking more than 340 wickets.