One last surprise from cricket's most overexposed enigma

For 15 years, Ben Stokes always put his team ahead of himself on the field. There might have been indiscretions and misdemeanours off it, but on it, he remained the talismanic warrior who offered every bit of himself, mind and body, for his country's sake. Right up to and including the very end.

But then with what would become his final act as an international cricketer, he went into business for himself. He made it all about Ben Stokes.

From the time Stokes decided to open the batting in England's big run-chase, less than a couple of hours after his retirement announcement was made public, the third Test ceased to be a must-win series-decider for his team. It instead became a Bazball-themed farewell party to their departing leader.

Every batter who walked out after Stokes attempted to reverse-ramp the second delivery he faced seemed intent on impressing the captain with their audacity. From Harry Brook's manic stay to Joe Root and Emilio Gay attempting reverse sweeps almost as soon as they took guard.

The result was England losing their way in an unlikely pursuit of 373 on a rapidly deteriorating surface in Nottingham, against a severely depleted New Zealand attack reduced to just two frontline fast bowlers.

This kamikaze-style implosion felt worse considering it came on the same day Daryl Mitchell produced an all-time classic, unbeaten on 100 off 241 balls through pure grit and pain tolerance. Exposing the delusional aspect of the Bazball approach where their idea of running towards danger is if anything running away from it.

The real reasons behind why Stokes decided this was the right time and way for him to go out should be revealed in coming days and weeks. But for now, you could argue he deserved to be the lead protagonist in the last chapter of his inspirational career. Some might insist everything he did was calculated – a strategic way of sending a strong message to the powers that be. As ludicrous as it felt in the context of the Test, Stokes' opening salvo was him trying to be the ultimate disruptor. It's just that his bat no longer helps him write the unbelievable scripts he used to at his peak.

While he's remained one of the biggest entertainers of his time, the Ben Stokes story has felt more like a string of sequels where he's played both hero and villain rather than one continuous narrative. He's been both a role model and a cautionary tale at different times over the last decade-and-a-half.

For the most overexposed cricketer of his generation, maybe only behind Virat Kohli, Stokes has remained an enigma. A man full of surprises right till the finish line. Whether his astonishing announcement on Sunday morning leaving Jacob Bethell in such shock he shouldered arms to a straight delivery later that day, or tapping Gay on his shoulder to pair up with Ben Duckett at the top of the order in his last Test innings. There were always multiple layers. It was, like he said himself, "never simple".

The one common thread has been the significance of Test tours to Australia and their impact on him at every stage of his career. From his first tour where he announced himself with a maiden ton at the WACA in December 2013, to his final away Ashes campaign last summer where he realised time was running out.

It was poignant to hear Stokes reveal that the man who made his first mark on Australian soil by standing up to Mitchell Johnson while everyone else surrendered, had felt like he had no more fight left after the latest Ashes debacle on Australian soil.

It was a reminder of why Stokes has been among the most engaging cricketers of his era. Must-watch television throughout his career. Whether the ridiculous feats as a batter or the tireless spells with the ball – like the 11-over burst at Trent Bridge on his penultimate day as a Test cricketer. For all the excitement through his performances, there was also raw emotion worn on his sleeve in both good and bad times.

Difficult to forget the dazed expression on his face the morning after Carlos Brathwaite hit him for four sixes in the final over of the 2016 T20 World Cup. Or his amused smile observing this interviewer's nail art at the MCG last year suggesting England would win the Boxing Day Test – which they did. "That's the first positive thing anyone's told me this week," he'd quip.

It was the most relaxed he had sounded during that tour, looking forward to the biggest Stokes family gathering in years for Christmas. In hindsight, there were enough signs that leading this England team was no longer as much fun as it had been through the first few years of his captaincy.

It's unlikely Stokes will be remembered for his numbers, despite being only the second all-rounder after Jacques Kallis with over 7000 Test runs and 250 wickets. He was a "moments" cricketer but not one defined by a single moment. From his era-defining innings in the 2019 Headingley Test to his double century in Cape Town and finishing touches to two World Cup wins for England.

Poetically, he created an indelible moment on his exit route as Trent Bridge stood as one – firstly to acknowledge the news about his imminent retirement, and then to him snaring a wicket with his very next delivery. Reminiscent of how the Leeds crowd reacted to his epochal square drive off Pat Cummins to finish the greatest Test run chase of this century.

The self-indulgence with the bat that followed might have overshadowed that final entry into his glittering highlight reel. But it's unlikely to be his lasting legacy, even if for a change he put Ben Stokes ahead of England.