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Ben Stokes, former England cricket captain, has taken a humorous response to being labelled a 'has-been' by cricket legend Ian Botham after he retired from international cricket:

Stokes announced his departure during England's Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge last month, bringing to an end an astonishing 15-year international career. Not long afterwards, Botham, hilariously, said this on the Test Match Special podcast:

Botham said:

"As we know, Michael Vaughan & I. We don't know what we're talking about. Couple of old has-beens. Ben, if you're listening congratulations you've joined the club. You're now a has-been."

Stokes didn't hesitate in replying. Sharing a post on X, the England all-rounder tweeted a famous saying frequently attributed to Botham himself.

Stokes said:

"The quote 'It's better to be a has-been than a never-been' originates from Lord Ian Botham."

The comments follow days after Botham had publicly criticised Stokes following an incident involving England fast bowler Gus Atkinson.

Stokes and Atkinson are said to have broken England's midnight curfew after they won their first test against New Zealand and went out celebrating. Botham expressed anger at the actions of the England team.

Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Botham expressed his feelings about Stokes. He was clearly disappointed in the way Stokes performed, considering that Botham had previously supported Stokes through several tricky patches.

Botham said:

"Some people just don't learn, do they? It's as simple as that. We as a club, when he had the problems in Bristol, we stood by Ben Stokes, and I stood by him as chairman, but I really can't see how you can justify what happened after the game."

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Regardless of the recent abuse, Stokes is still one of England's greatest all-rounders. In his 15 years of international cricket, the all-rounder has played over 250 international matches across formats, offering several winning displays for England in the process.

He was part of most of England's biggest wins over the years and a truly great all-rounder of his era. With his retirement, the end of an era in English cricket.

Botham's remarks attracted the most publicity, but it was Stokes' relaxed and entertaining reply that pulled the issue back down to earth. His tweet was soon attracting many fans who responded favourably to another of his witty retorts.