Strauss 'dumbfounded' by timing of Stokes's England exit / Photo: Darren Staples - AFP
Strauss 'dumbfounded' by timing of Stokes's England exit
Andrew Strauss said he was "dumbfounded" by the timing of Ben Stokes's exit from international cricket as he paid tribute to a "genuine great" of the English game.
Stokes's decision to call time on his celebrated England career at the end of the ongoing third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge was made public on the fourth day of the series decider.
The England captain, in the middle of a lengthy bowling stint, promptly took a wicket with his first ball afterwards.
Stokes, normally a middle-order batsman, then opened the innings but holed out as England lost several wickets in a manic pursuit of a stiff target of 373, with the hosts 103-4 at stumps and on the brink of a first series defeat at home in three or more Tests since 2012.
Strauss was England captain on that occasion, with the 49-year-old former opener ending his own career, in which he led his Test side to number one in the world rankings, on a low note as they were beaten by South Africa.
While he paid tribute to everything Stokes has achieved during his glittering career, Strauss feels the 35-year-old all rounder should not have revealed his plans during the third Test against the Black Caps with the series up for grabs at 1-1.
"Like many people I was dumbfounded yesterday (Sunday) when the whispers started coming out that Ben Stokes was about to announce his retirement,"Strauss wrote on his LinkedIn page.
- 'Shocking and inevitable -
"It was both shocking and perhaps inevitable at the same time.
"This is a guy that has given everything to the England shirt but also has worn his emotions on his sleeve throughout that journey. The truth is that the job just burns you out, especially if you take on as much responsibility as Ben did in the role.
"He will rightly go down as one of England's genuine greats. This is a guy who revelled in the big moments. A genuine superstar."
Strauss, however, added: "I hesitate to say this but I'm not convinced that the whole thing was orchestrated the right way yesterday –- it seems like a huge distraction to a team that was battling to avoid a series defeat and the cricket in the last session very much had an 'end of term' feel to it.
"Everyone has the right to bow out on their own terms, and no-one has earned that more than Ben, but announcing before or after the game seems like a more sensible approach. When you are in the middle of a match, the only thing that matters is the performance of the team.
"It is a small gripe in the greater scheme of things. English cricket will be far worse (and less interesting!) without Ben involved. Opposition teams will be breathing a sigh of relief and there will be a huge vacuum in the England team that will be impossible to fill."
Z.Bianchi--IM
