In the middle of his over, which would soon take a wicket, it was announced that all-rounder Ben Stokes had decided to retire from international cricket. He’d see out the rest of the third Test against New Zealand in June, but that’d be it.
The team captain, who has long been crucial to the run-scoring and attack for England, seemed to make the call following the fallout of an incident at a London nightclub after the second Test, but it was still quite the shock.
Few would say that he’s passed out of the bracket of being worthy of the international stage in red- or white-ball cricket, even at 35 years old. Even so, he leaves behind a stellar record and plenty of cricket left to play elsewhere.
Going All-in on Bazball
Combining the mindset of Brendon McCullum and Stokes’ own explosive potential at the crease, the two transformed the England team to play this new style of Bazball in Test cricket.
A very controversial pivot, the emphasis was almost to play Test matches with a white-ball mindset. Naturally, it rubbed many onlookers the wrong way, but it certainly produced an onslaught of entertaining days of cricket.
The incredible highs and murky lows underpinned the approach in the end: it was very inconsistent and could be outdone by talented enough batting line-ups. This mindset, toted by Stokes, still has a lot of use in the game, though.
So, he’s made his way to Durham in Division Two to help the promotion favourites achieve their goal. On the third day of the Rothesay County Championship, he’d reached five wickets for 17 runs allowed and gone 66 runs unbeaten.
Stokes has also agreed to terms to head over to Australia for the next Big Bash League. He’ll play at the Adelaide Oval for the Strikers on what is being reported as the most lucrative deal in the history of the big-money T20 league.
Business Ventures in the Backdrop
Stokes doesn’t just compete on the cricket pitch: he puts his hefty earnings to work in the world of business. Back in 2023, he joined Stuart Broad, KL Rahul, Jofra Archer, and Jos Buttler to form a £40 million venture capital fund.
The Players Fund, which was also backed by footballers Chris Smalling, Serge Gnabry, and Héctor Bellerín, is set up to allow the athletes who back it to have a strong say in its investments while also helping them to invest wisely after their careers conclude.
For Stokes, his investments have been a bit hit and miss. He backed Sixes – a series of competitive socialising entertainment venues – but that folded in 2025. His stake in CleanCo, an alcohol-free brand, is doing much better.
Being such a star of the sport, countless other opportunities await the all-rounder. New and classic pursuits are on the table. For the former, he could join some fellow sporting legends in the world of licensed gaming.
Found at hit bingo sites, legendary jockey Frankie Dettori has three official games already. These span the Magic Seven, Magic Seven Jackpot, and Sporting Legends games. A Stokes-themed slot would certainly catch the eye of cricket fans on these sites.
While he’s already dipped his toe into the documentary scene with Phoenix from the Ashes, Netflix would undoubtedly jump at the chance to do their own docu-series based around his career.
Then, there’s also the plethora of game shows, panel shows, or reality shows that’d welcome his celebrity status to the screen. At the time of writing, Stokes was among the top 15 predicted to take part in I’m a Celebrity 2026.
Stokes looks primed to have plenty of time left in his cricketing career, and even now, he’s working on what’s to come afterwards. Once he fully retires, he’ll undoubtedly have countless opportunities to stay in the spotlight.
