India, June 29 -- Ben Stokes ensured there would be no quiet farewell to his England career as the retiring captain walked out to open the batting in what became his final international innings during the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.

Only hours after stunning the cricket world by announcing his decision to retire from international cricket at the end of the ongoing Test, Stokes promoted himself to the top of the order in England's chase of 373. The move came as a surprise because Stokes has spent most of his Test career as a middle-order batter, but it was entirely in keeping with the drama and theatre that have defined some of the biggest moments of his career.

New Zealand had declared their second innings at 288/9, ...