England 1-2 New Zealand: player ratings for the three-Test series

Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips and Nathan Smith stood out for the visitors as they came from behind to win the series

By the 99.94 Cricket Blog

Ben Stokes: 57 runs at 14.3; seven wickets at 21.9
He retired when he was England’s best bowler, best captain and a century away from being worth his place as a batter alone. But, as he acknowledged himself, when the air goes out of the balloon it deflates very quickly – as anyone who has ever retired from any job will tell you.

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Abject England end Stokes era with rare home series defeat by New Zealand

New Zealand won a Test series in England for the fourth time by wrapping up a 160-run victory in the third Test at Trent Bridge on Monday, bringing an end to the international career of England’s captain, Ben Stokes.

Resuming on 103 for four and chasing an unlikely 373 to win, England were dismissed for 212 soon after lunch on day five as New Zealand clinched the series 2-1.

Ali Martin’s report from Trent Bridge will follow shortly

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A helter-skelter ride: Brilliant, charismatic Stokes is one of England’s best captains ever | Vic Marks

Despite disappointments we remain indebted to an all-round talent for transforming the way in which Test cricket is played

Last year I completed a book on England’s cricket captains since Mike Brearley and the final chapter was devoted to Ben Stokes. It began with the observation: “There is jeopardy here”; it ended with the conclusion: “I would be hard pressed to name anyone in the last few decades who has done more than Ben Stokes to keep a format [Test cricket], still beloved by so many, alive.”

Jeopardy and Stokes have often been frequent bedfellows, on the field and off it. My jeopardy came in having to assess Stokes the captain before last winter’s Ashes series given that there is a long tradition of deciding the merit of England captains based upon their results against Australia. We know now it did not go so well; we also have an idea of how much torment it brought him. Yet I’m still content with those pre-Ashes observations. Of course there is always jeopardy with Stokes. We have never known what he would do next (which now includes his sudden decision to retire from international cricket). Moreover despite the recent disappointments, I think he remains one of the best captains England have had – to the amazement of most of us.

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