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2 min readJul 9, 2026 09:05 PM IST
England's Ben Stokes walks off after being caught by New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell on day four of the Third cricket Test between England and New Zealand in Nottingham, England, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)
After the International Cricket Council (ICC) contacted the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over the timing and manner of Ben Stokes’ retirement announcement during the third Test against New Zealand last month, the man himself took to social media to deliver a cheeky dig on the situation.
Stokes had made his decision to retire public on the fourth day of the Trent Bridge Test with the ECB filming the speech that he had made to his teammates inside the dressing room ahead of the day’s play and posting on social media when the match was still in progress.
The ICC alleged that publishing the footage before the conclusion of the Test breached its minimum standards governing Players’ and Match Officials’ Areas (PMOA) at international matches.
Sack him … https://t.co/LYQ5ZlYqDE
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) July 9, 2026
Stokes on Thursday quote tweeted the report on his social media and gave just a 2-word reaction. “Sack him,” the former England captain said playfully.
The ICC’s letter reportedly cites Article 2.2.11 of the PMOA regulations, which requires national cricket boards to “ensure that there are no fixed or temporary video cameras or other recording equipment set up within any dressing room used by the teams for the purposes of broadcasting video or audio footage.”
The report added that the ICC had previously communicated to members that any footage captured inside the PMOA should not include audio or be released before the end of a match.
Stokes bowed out with over 10,000 international runs and 300-plus wickets, including the rare distinction of being just the third player to bag 7000-plus Test runs and 200-plus wickets after Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis.
On his last day as an England player, the left-hander opened the batting in his final walk to the crease and played a quickfire cameo with two sixes in the chase before holing out on 30 off 20 deliveries. However, the match ended in the favour of the Kiwis who won the series 2-1.
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