Ben Stokes ends England career with nightmare defeat – key figures must now be shown the door

As Ben Stokes’ captaincy ended with an historically bad defeat, it’s time for a clear-out to fix English cricket.

Stokes announced midway through day four of the third and final Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge that he would be retiring from all international cricket after the match.

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And despite their skipper of four years trying to deliver one last heroic flourish – opening the batting in his side’s second innings and, in true Stokes style, smashing his way to 30 off 20 balls – England lost the match by 160 runs and the series 2-1.

With victory in Nottingham, New Zealand became the first touring team to win a three-match series in England having lost the first Test – another low for Bazball, and perhaps even the final nail in its coffin.

At the end of a month in which England’s only success came on a dud of a Lord’s pitch, and in which the cricket was – not for the first time in the Brendan McCullum and Rob Key era – overshadowed by off-field events – Stokes and Gus Atkinson were dropped for the second Test after breaching curfew and being embroiled in a nightclub fracas (only for the Cricket Regulator conclude they were blameless in that) – heads need to make like a Joe Root cover drive to the boundary and roll.

Time to start again

“I’m absolutely sick and tired of this,” fumed talkSPORT’s Sam Ellard on Hawksbee and Jacobs as England headed for their latest miserable loss on Monday.

“The start of the Bazball era was fun, refreshing… English cricket needs a reset and a fresh start and it has to happen as soon as this final wicket gets taken today.

“Bad results; poor Ashes preparation; the Ashes approach; that Harry Brook cover-up; the Stokes retirement; and this series defeat at home. It has to be time for a change – and I cannot imagine a situation when, in six weeks’ time, England-Pakistan – first Test match of that series, late August – if we have a situation where Ben Stokes is not there captaining England and Brendon McCullum and Rob Key are in their respective jobs.

“Their positions are surely become absolutely untenable at this point.”

Asked whether he expected ‘a change in the hierarchy’ to follow, former England batter Mark Butcher, who captained his country once against New Zealand in 1999, added: “Honestly, I have no idea. I have no idea.

“All sorts of rumours are flying around at the moment and I’m not going to talk about them because I can’t verify it – but at the moment, it looks as though things other than Ben Stokes will remain exactly the same.”

England were thrashed 4-1 in last winter’s Ashes, prompting some of the most scathing criticism yet of Bazball – head coach McCullum’s ultra-attacking batting approach which initially provided great entertainment and served England well but, more recently, has fallen horribly flat, resulting in numerous frustrating losses.

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Managing director Rob Key has also faced more than his fair share of scrutiny, not least for England’s lacklustre Ashes preparations – which he conceded was a mistake.

Key has previously played down the perceived ‘drinking culture’ in the England camp – defending white-ball skipper Brook after he was involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand last year, resulting in a fine and a final warning – but hinted at a potential alcohol ban in light of Stokes and Atkinson’s recent indiscretion.

Brook later admitted he had lied about being out on his own in order to protect his teammates.

Currently second of the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings, behind fellow Yorkshire star Root, Brook is England’s vice-captain and the favourite to succeed Stokes.

Root reassumed the captaincy on a one-off basis for the second Test in Stokes’ absence and is not likely to take the job permanently – indeed, no one has ever had multiple full-time stints as England skipper.

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England’s Test woes continue

England have won just two of their last 11 Test series and rank fifth in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings.

Defeat to New Zealand marks the first time they’ve lost a home series of Three or more tests since 2012 (2-0 vs South Africa).

England’s three-Test series against Pakistan begins at Headingley on August 19, before which they play five T20 matches and three ODI’s against India.