India, June 30 -- Former England opener and captain Andrew Strauss has criticised the timing of Ben Stokes' decision to retire from international cricket.

The England captain and all-rounder announced his shock retirement midway through the final Test against New Zealand, and Strauss believed the timing of the announcement became a "distraction" for his team and ought to have been different.

"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."

Stokes broke the news to his teammates on the morning of Day 4 of the series...