- 3 months ago
Stokes on his shock retirement and England's series defeat by New Zealand
29/06/2026
Trent Bridge, Nottingham, UK
29/06/2026
Trent Bridge, Nottingham, UK
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Ben, I'll just start by saying thank you. I think I speak for most of us, if not all of
00:05us, just saying, you know, you've really engaged with this and you've given us plenty of your time and places
00:10you'd rather be, I'm sure, and people you'd rather be with.
00:13Yeah, so thanks for that. First of all, I guess you've had a lot of time to reflect on this
00:19the last 24 hours and you've done a bit of chatting around the place. What would you like to think
00:24now that your legacy with this team is with your teammates or the fans?
00:32Well, first of all, I'd say the feel in this room is a lot different to what it was six
00:36or seven days ago. I'll give that one. But I don't know, really. I mean, that's, again, you could ask
00:45all the supporters of English cricket that same question and you'll probably get a few different answers.
00:52You know, I guess everyone's got the right to say what they want and whatever. But I guess it's for
00:59me, I'll just say that I feel like I've given as much as I could have done to England over
01:07the years that I've been lucky enough to represent this team.
01:13I guess that's the one thing that I hope everyone will be able to say is that he left everything
01:18out there at every single opportunity that he got to wear the shirt because there's certainly something that I always,
01:24you know, told myself to make sure I do is regardless of what goes on in terms of the returns
01:32of whether it be with, you know, bowling or batting, just as long as you're going out there and making
01:37sure that you're given absolutely everything every single time, then you can hold your head high.
01:41So from that account, I feel like I can hold my head pretty high.
01:45And it's been a lot of talk so far about your future, what your next move is, what you do
01:50next, when we may or may not see you again.
01:54I wonder about the future of the team. How do you reflect on where you're leaving this team versus where
02:00you picked it up?
02:01Yeah, well, I was retiring yesterday and then I've had a few questions asking if I'm going to be able
02:07to sit on my sofa watching next year.
02:10I mean, I know it's the Ashes next year, but I'll probably be watching it in a hospitality box somewhere,
02:14not thinking about what's going on in the field.
02:18But look, I think this team has all the capabilities in the world to be able to go on and
02:25achieve what I think it should be able to achieve.
02:29And look, I'm one individual in a sport that requires 11 people to go out there and achieve what every
02:39team wants to achieve, which is to a win.
02:43And, you know, there's a lot of time to go before, you know, obviously the big one, which is the
02:49Ashes in 2027, for things to be able to take place.
02:52But the people who are in that dressing room now, I've got absolute confidence in the world that they'll be
02:56able to go on and do what needs to be done in terms of taking the team forward.
03:02You know, I feel like I've, as I've just said, given everything to the team as a player and I,
03:07you know, pretty sure I can be happy that I've given everything I've put to the team as a captain
03:13over four and a half years.
03:15In a comical way, I guess I can say it's not my problem at all.
03:23But yeah, look, I'll still be following this team with as much interest as ever.
03:28You know, I love the England cricket team.
03:31I've got a serious passion for seeing the team do well.
03:35And that's not going to change just because I'm not in the dressing room anymore.
03:38And you've been a big personality in this job, you know, out there on the field in the dressing room.
03:44Even talking to us, putting messaging out there.
03:47Do you think that there's people there, leaders, who can step up and fill that, what's a pretty big gap
03:51now?
03:52Yeah, definitely.
03:55Look, you go back to when I got asked to do it.
04:00I think there was a lot of people saying no.
04:04I've got no experience in captaining or leadership.
04:09It's too much for me to take on my shoulders because of the role that I play in the team.
04:13I was being compared to the other great, you know, all-rounders that were before me because of how things
04:21went for them.
04:23But there are leaders in that group who, whoever is asked to take the team forward, they'll be able to,
04:29you know, put their own stamp on this team because that's what I've tried to do.
04:33And it shouldn't be any different for whoever gets the honour of taking his team forward from the series against
04:38Pakistan.
04:39Do you feel Harry Brook is ready to take that baton from you, your vice-captain?
04:46Yes, I do.
04:47There's a reason why he was asked to be vice-captain of this team.
04:52I know that, again, with all the controversy over the last couple of weeks, there was, you know, some decisions
04:57that were made, but those were decisions that, you know, I wasn't part of making.
05:03You know, you're asked to be vice-captain of a team for a certain reason.
05:07I was vice-captain under Joe for a long time and it's a natural progression.
05:13If the captain's not there or available, then you step up to do that.
05:16So, there's absolutely no reason why Harry shouldn't be asked to do that.
05:23You know, he's someone who's obviously an incredible player, one of the more senior players in this group.
05:30And, look, we all know he's a phenomenally talented individual when it comes to his skill as a batter.
05:36And if you love a bit more responsibility on the shoulders with this team, you know, we don't know if
05:41that's going to show any more improvement in the skills that he's already got.
05:45Only time will tell, but you don't ask someone to be vice-captain if you don't think that they've got
05:49the skills and the, you know, the ability to be able to captain the team when they need to.
05:57So, if I was to be asked who I think should do it, he's throwing my 100% support behind
06:04Harry Brook.
06:05And do you still believe that Brendan McCollum and Rob Key were the right people to take the team forward?
06:11What me, Brendan and Rob have managed to do over four and a half years has been, you know, I'm
06:18not going to lie, it's been quite an interesting ride if you take it what it is.
06:22We've had some incredible highs, we've had some pretty low lows as well.
06:25But I feel it's always worked and connected pretty well in terms of what we want to achieve and we've
06:29always had that direction of how do we get the team better?
06:33How do we take them forward?
06:34And it doesn't always work out the way that you want it to work out.
06:37So, again, I'm done now, I'm going to have to make those decisions, I'm going to have to be involved
06:42in all that kind of stuff.
06:43And being honest, one of the nice feelings about being in the situation that I find myself in now is
06:50that I don't have to worry about that stuff.
06:53But I've thoroughly enjoyed my four and a half years working relationship with Brendan and Rob.
06:59And then there's other decisions to be made that I'm going to have to give a shit about them.
07:05So that's all good.
07:06Chris and then Mish.
07:09Julia.
07:10I was asking you once about what with Brendan as well, so I might put it another way.
07:14So you said you want Harry, you choose Harry to be the next captain.
07:19His relationship with Brendan, do you think those two as a combination are a combination that can take the team
07:24forward to next year's Ashes?
07:27Yeah, I think so.
07:27So I think the most important thing with whatever happens going forward is that there needs to be clarity and
07:36a vision of whatever is going to take English cricket forward with the changes that are obviously going to happen.
07:42When me and Brendan first took over, we were very clear about what we wanted to do.
07:46And that's going to be no different for the next role in leadership.
07:52It's going to be no difference for the role in leadership after that.
07:57But both captain and coach need to come together and put their ideas together and believe in what they're trying
08:03to do going forward.
08:05And whoever that may be, then that's what needs to happen.
08:10But again, I'm just going to keep saying I don't have to worry about that again.
08:12I don't have to worry about that again.
08:13So, yes.
08:17Hi, Ben.
08:18Yesterday you spoke about, you know, the thoughts you were having over the last four months and then it was
08:23a conversation with Claire that you were able to talk through and decide that this was it.
08:29Did it need to be someone who knows you that well to be able to say, look, you should stop
08:35essentially because it's taking this time away?
08:40No, not really.
08:41I think it was a situation where people just needed to hear me and I needed to speak.
08:47You know, my wife knows me better than anybody else in the world.
08:51I spoke to other people who I've got very good relationships with, who I managed to play a lot of
08:57cricket with as well.
08:58So, you know, I didn't just want to limit myself to, you know, one person.
09:05I wanted to share my thoughts with quite a few different people and get, you know, some different point of
09:10views.
09:10But at the end of the day, the most, the decision was always going to be mine.
09:17I didn't really feel like I ever was influenced by anything other than me.
09:20I just felt like even just talking about the whole situation was just good for me to get my head
09:27clear and making sure that I was being completely honest with myself and taking the right amount of time and
09:36measured approach to this whole thing.
09:38And I've got, I did that, I got myself through into this game and as I said before, when I
09:45went back for Durham, you know, it was, I really, really enjoyed it there.
09:50And I thought I'd be able to take all of that stuff into this week.
09:54And there were certainly moments this week where I obviously really enjoyed, but when you, there are certain moments that
10:00you, you sort of feel like you don't enjoy as much because of the, you know, where you are in
10:06terms of representing the whole, the pressure that comes with this level of cricket is something that, as I said
10:14yesterday, just maybe I just don't feel like I have it in me to, to enjoy those kinds of things
10:20anymore.
10:21Because cricket for me is something that I love and I always want to love and I don't want to
10:26ever feel like I want to get into a place where I have any negative feelings towards it because I've
10:32been there before.
10:33You know, this, this sport's given me so much that I don't want to find myself back there.
10:43And the moments that I had back at Durham with my boyhood club, it was just, yeah, just all smiles,
10:51it was just all good vibes, it was all happiness.
10:53And that's all I want to do because I played this game for fun and excitement and enjoyment when I
10:58was a kid.
10:58Just because I'm 35 and I played a lot of cricket for this country doesn't mean that that should be
11:02any different.
11:04And for all the games before that, that's what I felt, but unfortunately now I'm at a stage where there's
11:10just certain things that don't fill me with that same enjoyment anymore.
11:16And, yeah, I'm not afraid to say that because I just love the sport too much to have any negative
11:22feelings towards it anymore.
11:24Are we going to see you again for Durham this summer or are you going to take the, you know,
11:27bit of time off with it this summer?
11:29Um, yeah, I text Ryan Campbell last night just saying, uh, up the Ds.
11:34Um, I've got a few days away with the family and then I'll let you know what my plans are.
11:38Um, and he texts me back saying, oh, I've probably got a rookie contract on the table for you if
11:42you want it.
11:44Um, but yeah, look, my plan was to go back and play some games for Durham and the Metro Bank
11:47anyway in between, uh, these two series.
11:50That will probably change now, but, yeah, look, um, again, when I went, said yesterday some of the emotions I
11:56was going through and I said one of them was excitement.
11:58Um, I'm excited about the prospect that I get to go back and, you know, play some more games for
12:03Durham because, again, I look at it without Durham.
12:06And when I was younger to the progression that I made through into the first team, without them, I wouldn't,
12:15you know, be sat here talking about all this kind of stuff now.
12:17So, um, yeah, it's, it's a case of going back and having a bit of fun playing, but also, I
12:23guess, um, you know, repaying some of the, the stuff that they've given to me to allow me to, to
12:31have played as much as I have for England.
12:34Julian, then, second, and then what I've just said.
12:38Can I just ask, whose idea was it for you to open last night and what was the thinking behind
12:42that?
12:43Um, yeah, it was something that we'd spoken about sort of as the game progressed, really, when we've seen that
12:49the wicket was starting to get a little bit trickier to play on.
12:55Um, look, there's, there's no doubt that the weather obviously played a big part in that over the first two,
13:00two and a half days because of the extreme heat.
13:02So, uh, I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to notice how the score's changed from 320 for none
13:09to how it ended up playing out.
13:11You know, the, the heat made that wicket dry out and there was balls going up, there was balls going
13:16down, there was, you know, cracks starting to show.
13:18And, um, and that's the exciting thing about this game, this format is that the next day is always different
13:24to the one you played on.
13:25And, you know, it's going to be different the next day as well. So, um, as the game got further
13:30and further, it was obvious that the newer ball and the harder ball, um, yes, it probably felt like it
13:36was the easiest time to score because there was more attacking fields.
13:40There was less fielders to have to hit through the field, if that makes sense, but also it was actually
13:44the most dangerous time in terms of taking wickets.
13:46So, um, we were like, well, we need to try and capitalise on the best time for scoring, whilst also
13:53making it pretty difficult for New Zealand to feel like they could go through attacking fields in terms of slips
13:57and everything around it.
13:59So, look at it two ways where, you know, we come off 100 for four, it would have been great
14:04if we were only two down, um, but we felt we made a massive dent in the, such a big
14:09total.
14:10Because we were never going to, um, not try and chase that total down, because we were 1-1. Um,
14:16we felt the best way for us to be able to chase that score down was to score as many
14:20runs as possible when the ball was at its hardest.
14:24Um, because as the ball got softer, you could see that the ring fields came into play more. It was
14:28harder to force the ball through. Um, and the less amount of runs we had to score on the last
14:33day, we thought that was giving ourselves the best chance to do it.
14:36Um, but yeah, it was unfortunate that we ended up losing four wickets last night, but it was a complete
14:41and utter tactical decision that we made to send people up the order who we felt were going to give
14:46us the best chance to score on the quick runs.
14:49Second.
14:52Ben, you talked about that game you played for Durham and how much you enjoyed it and the feeling that
14:56it gave you about playing cricket, but then, you know, there's certain things about playing cricket that are stopping you
15:02from having that.
15:04What are those things?
15:06Um, quite a lot, uh, you know, even, even doing the extra responsibilities now as 35 of the golf, just,
15:20you know, even, I don't mean this in any negative way whatsoever for you guys, but just this kind of
15:24stuff, you know, don't have to worry about speaking to, to the media about certain things anymore.
15:29Or I can just go out and play for Durham and, um, and play the game and if I've had
15:33a good day, if I've had a bad day, I can just go home and have a bit of dinner
15:36and then rock it the next day.
15:37I know it sounds silly, but it's something that, um, if you, you do go through, it does, you know,
15:44take its toll, I guess.
15:45You know, I definitely feel like it has done.
15:47Um, you know, there's a lot of things where, um, it becomes mentally tiring.
15:53And some of the stuff that gets thrown on the shoulders as, as captain of the team, but also as
15:58a player, the, um, the extra scrutiny, the extra expectation from this sport.
16:05Um, and this level is something that never really bothered me.
16:08It never really fussed me, but, um, yeah, as I've got to sort of closer to the end of my
16:13career, I guess I felt like it has started to take its toll a little bit.
16:16And as I said earlier, um, I don't want to, you know, um, to feel like I'm having to do
16:25things because it's the right thing to do for other people.
16:27You know, um, a huge part of this decision is because of what I think is right for me to,
16:33to still want to be able to play cricket with a smile on my face.
16:37Um, you know, and even in the build-up to the game last week at Lords, after six months about
16:42being away, I should have been, like, buzzing and ecstatic and excited about everything that week was to offer.
16:47But when I got myself into that, it sort of wasn't how I thought it should be.
16:52Um, I hope that makes a little bit of sense.
16:55It doesn't my edge enough, I haven't made that very clear well, well enough, but, um, yeah, it's, it does
17:01take its toll and there's a lot of things that goes on that people don't see, you know, back at
17:05home, all this kind of stuff, so.
17:07I know you said you've been thinking about this for a long time and on a Lord's it didn't feel
17:11right, but then did everything that happened afterwards accelerate their experience?
17:17And might you have been tempted to hang on for a little bit longer if you haven't gone through everything
17:22you've been through in the past with a Lord?
17:25Um, oh, it's an interesting moment because I think there would have been, if those, if the situation that unfolded
17:32didn't happen, you know, we're either going to be here talking about this or not.
17:36Um, it was just that quite a few things that I was feeling ended up being told to a few
17:42more people than I was expecting them to know.
17:45Um, and you either would have known or you wouldn't have known because I would have, you know, I was
17:50feeling like I'll get myself through to the end of this and we'll see where we are.
17:55Um, and, um, people would have known or people would have been looking to the wiser except my wife, but,
18:01you know, just as I say, because of the circumstance, things just changed.
18:05And that was another thing that sort of had to deal with over two and a half weeks.
18:08But, um, yeah, it's, I don't know, maybe it has contributed a little bit, but it's not the overriding factor
18:17as to why I've came to this decision because one way or the other, um, this day was always going
18:23to happen.
18:23Um, and, um, it just happens to be, it was, now, okay, can we get a final four?
18:29So Richard, uh, Simon and Simon.
18:33Ben, for me, you could be someone who's always a champion in Test Cricket and obviously now you're bowing out.
18:38What would you say, how would you sell the game of Test Cricket to those that would come after you?
18:43What would you, how would you encourage them to, to attack it like you have?
18:48Um, I guess.
18:51I guess, whenever someone new comes into the dressing room or into the environment and they are, you know, coming
19:00in to make their debut or whatever it is, I guess the, the one message that I feel like I've
19:04always said is, don't feel like you have to change because you're now in the dressing room.
19:10You've got yourself here because of the way that you play and, and you've been successful at doing that at
19:18one level.
19:19Um, so I go out there and do the exact same thing that's got you here in the first place.
19:25Um, yeah, just do things your way.
19:29Do it how you want to do it.
19:30Do what you think is going to give yourself the best opportunity of being successful.
19:33And most importantly, try your hardest to enjoy it because, you know, you need to try and keep hold of
19:41that, um, that inner child of playing in the garden with your friends or down the pad with your friends
19:47where everything is just, you know, fun.
19:50Now you're thrown on top of that, um, expectation, um, pressure from playing in front of 25, 30,000 people,
19:58millions of people across the world.
19:59But if you break it down and simplify it, it's just another game of cricket.
20:03Um, and it's how you deal with those extra things that come with it.
20:08You either, as I say, let it eat you up or you just embrace it all because when you're a
20:14kid, you dream of doing that.
20:16You dream of playing for him with, or you dream of playing in national cricket.
20:18You dream of walking out in front of these people.
20:20And then if you're lucky enough to be able to, to find yourself in that situation, um, don't let it
20:28feel bigger than what it is.
20:29Um, because when you're younger, it's all you wanted to do.
20:33And then you worked so hard to get there, try your hardest not to just make it bigger than what
20:37it is.
20:38You say bigger than what it is.
20:39You said that many reasons came into why you're bigger now.
20:43Would the Ashes defeat bigger for you than perhaps first acknowledged at the end of that series?
20:49Would that take more out of you than perhaps you thought of at all?
20:53Um, yeah, maybe.
20:56But I think also the six months after that was probably another thing as well.
21:00You know, there was, there was a lot of time, um, you know, uh, physically getting myself ready again for
21:07the summer.
21:09Um, you know, going through things that we wanted to feel like we needed to improve as a team,
21:14or I wanted to improve as a captain, um, as a leader.
21:17Yeah, so I spent a lot of time, um, as I say, doing things away from, you know, the, you
21:23know, the eye of the world, if that makes sense.
21:25Um, um, if I look back on it, did I maybe put myself through too much?
21:30And I could probably say, yeah, I did.
21:32Um, and, you know, that's, that's something that I've always sort of maybe be questioning myself.
21:40Like, if I'd just taken things a little bit easier, would it have changed things?
21:43I don't know.
21:44But then again, I can flip it around and go, well, that's what I've always done.
21:46I've always thrown myself into everything that I've done.
21:49Um, is it just, you know, is it just meant to be my time?
21:55Um, so yeah, I don't know.
21:58Australia is always tough, and it was tough.
22:01Um, but then obviously it was a tough six months after that as well.
22:03So, yeah, there's a lot of things.
22:06Melvin.
22:07Ah, okay.
22:07So I've got a good set up, potentially, you know.
22:12You said it.
22:15Ben, one of the things you said you were always going to try to do is to make the dressing
22:20room environment happier and less crushing.
22:23Uh, having been Joe's friend and vice-captain and seen what he went for,
22:27was there anything you did to try and make Captain Sue a happier and less crushing,
22:32yet to make it burn and less heavily?
22:35Anything that I did for you?
22:38Um, um,
22:42I think it's,
22:43it's gone in phases sort of how I wanted to lead the team, to be honest.
22:48Um, if you look back at the first summer,
22:51there was different,
22:52there was reasons to why we were doing what we were doing.
22:55Um, we then,
22:57you know,
22:58started off like a house on fire,
23:00and I've said this openly,
23:01I said I had absolutely no idea who that was going to go.
23:03It could have been absolutely, like, horrendous.
23:06We could have lost
23:07seven from seven,
23:08but we ended up winning six,
23:10six from seven was it?
23:12Um,
23:13and everyone's,
23:14you know,
23:14really happy.
23:15I'm really happy.
23:16I'm thinking,
23:16geez,
23:16how easy is this?
23:18Um,
23:18so,
23:19and then you build on that,
23:20and then you,
23:21you know,
23:21you start then seeing the,
23:24the tough side of,
23:25of,
23:25of the job,
23:26and then,
23:27you know,
23:28everything else that's coming in with that,
23:30the,
23:30the scrutiny of,
23:32um,
23:33being a captain,
23:34the scrutiny towards the team,
23:35when things don't go well.
23:37So,
23:38um,
23:38you know,
23:39I've always tried to,
23:41um,
23:42you know,
23:43speak in a way which,
23:46um,
23:47you know,
23:47tries to get the players not thinking about all that kind of stuff,
23:52and it is a tough thing to do.
23:54Um,
23:57yeah,
23:58I guess for myself,
23:59maybe towards the back end of,
24:00of this job,
24:01maybe I did put way too much pressure on myself,
24:05but,
24:06you know,
24:06four and a half years doing this job,
24:07it is,
24:08it is a long time,
24:10um,
24:10it has come with a lot of pressure.
24:12Um,
24:13something that,
24:13you know,
24:14I'll,
24:15I'll never look back on with any regret,
24:17because it's been absolutely awesome through all the good times,
24:20all the bad times,
24:20because I'm very few,
24:22you know,
24:23I'm one of the very few lucky people that get to do this job,
24:25and,
24:26um,
24:27I'll always love everything that came with it.
24:29Really good times,
24:30I know the bad times.
24:31Um,
24:33but,
24:33yeah,
24:34just always tried to,
24:35just speak in a way that directed the team's attention away from maybe what was being said outside.
24:40And just on the choreography of yesterday,
24:44um,
24:44you're putting yourself through one of these massive,
24:46mammoth spells,
24:48uh,
24:48presumably knew when the bombshell was going to happen,
24:50you dropped,
24:51did you want to be bowling when the move broke?
24:56Choreography?
24:56It sounds like you made it,
24:57it sounds like a dance routine.
24:59Um,
25:01I mean,
25:01if I,
25:02if we had the ability to be able to script a full day of test cricket,
25:06I would script it that we win every single game.
25:09Um,
25:10but,
25:10it just so happens that,
25:12I was,
25:14in the middle of a long spell,
25:15because of how well that the team was operating.
25:17Um,
25:19I felt like I was creating a lot of chances,
25:20was also going nowhere.
25:22We were taking wickets at the other end.
25:24Um,
25:26and then it just so happened that I'm neat,
25:28I was bowling when the announcement came.
25:30Um,
25:31not going to lie,
25:32I did have a bit of a laugh saying,
25:34like,
25:34typical,
25:35like,
25:35I would have to take it with the next ball.
25:39then obviously going out to open the baton,
25:40as I explained before,
25:41that was a tactical thing that we've been speaking about for a few days before.
25:44So,
25:45yeah,
25:45look,
25:45I think we can,
25:46we can please try and edge away from saying it was choreographed for that whole day,
25:51because she's would be absolute geniuses.
25:53I mean,
25:53we'd have to get New Zealand in on that as well,
25:55if that was the case,
25:56right?
25:57Um,
25:57yeah,
25:58so,
25:58we didn't ask Tom to declare someone,
26:00but I've opened the baton in my last,
26:01last day.
26:02So it just worked out how it worked out.
26:05Um,
26:07yeah,
26:09that's it.
26:12Ben,
26:13Ben,
26:13thanks again for,
26:14for the pleasure you've given us all through the years,
26:17and,
26:17uh,
26:17it's been a privilege to watch you play.
26:20Uh,
26:20how would you like to be remembered?
26:26Um,
26:37just,
26:38yeah,
26:39it's just someone who,
26:42um,
26:43knew,
26:45what it,
26:46always meant to wear an England shirt,
26:49um,
26:53did everything that they could to win,
26:54um,
26:58and just tried the hardest every single time that they walked around to the field.
27:04Um,
27:08yeah,
27:08left everything out there,
27:10um,
27:10on every single occasion.
27:12Um,
27:13I'd like to think I've done that for pretty much every game that I've worn a shirt.
27:18Um,
27:19so hopefully people can all agree with that,
27:21but that's what I've tried to do.
27:22And then everything else outside of that,
27:24you know,
27:24wins,
27:25losses,
27:26whatever it may be.
27:27And that comes secondary to,
27:30um,
27:32hard effort and,
27:34and everything like that to me.
27:35So I hope that's,
27:36I hope that's what people can say.
27:38And more final seats,
27:40people on the trail bridge.
27:41Um,
27:42Ben,
27:42just on the crowd,
27:43the,
27:43um,
27:43the reception that you got when you did break,
27:46was that,
27:46and,
27:46no,
27:46personal clarity,
27:47I know we'll talk about the same thing that you have,
27:50and,
27:50uh,
27:50maybe did the crowd energy out of you a little bit more to find one on a hand?
27:55I'm not going to lie.
27:56It's sort of,
27:57I did,
27:58you,
27:58it,
27:59that's one of the feelings that I'm going to miss as a,
28:01as an England player is when the crowd gets behind you and gets on your back,
28:04you know,
28:04because I've had quite a few moments where,
28:07um,
28:07I've felt that,
28:08and it does take you from where you feel like you're at the top of your adrenaline level,
28:11and then you find even more.
28:13Um,
28:14that made me feel like I could just keep going and going and going and going again.
28:17I felt fresh as a daisy after that,
28:19even though I've all got quite a lot of overs in that spell,
28:21but,
28:22um,
28:23I absolutely love playing in Sasha Puglia here.
28:25I've got some pretty good memories anyway.
28:26This is where I scored my first first-class 100 against Notts back in 2010.
28:30I won the Ashes here,
28:32and I've seen some pretty special performances from England players and,
28:35you know,
28:36some players that we play against as well.
28:39Um,
28:39so I've got unbelievable memories here as an international player and as an England player
28:43and as a captain.
28:44So,
28:45yeah,
28:46I've absolutely loved playing on this ground.
28:48It's awesome.
28:49The atmosphere's always class.
28:51Um,
28:51so,
28:52if anything,
28:53I feel quite lucky that this is where I would have walked off the field for my last time
28:57as a player and because of all the fun memories I've got.
29:00Thank you very much.
29:01Thanks all.
29:02Just,
29:02sorry,
29:03just for me,
29:03guys,
29:04uh,
29:04four and a half years of doing what I've done,
29:05I've loved every moment of coming and talking to you guys.
29:08Um,
29:08generally.
29:10Every year.
29:11No,
29:11I do.
29:12I'll tell you,
29:12I understand the responsibility I've got as captain to take the,
29:15take the good with the smooth,
29:17the,
29:17the nice questions,
29:19the tough questions.
29:19And,
29:20you know,
29:21I've had up and down days,
29:22um,
29:22but I appreciate that you guys have all got a job to do.
29:25Um,
29:26and there's no hard feelings whatsoever about some of the pressing questions that you've
29:30asked me over the years.
29:31Um,
29:31so I just wish you all the best in your job still.
29:34So,
29:34thanks very much.
29:35Peace.
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