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.

For, 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 and co-architect of what they are still convinced is the most revolutionary period in English cricket history.

To the extent that every batter who walked out to bat 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 at the crease to even Joe Root and Emilio Gay - who finally walked out to bat at No. 6 - attempting reverse sweeps almost as soon as they took guard.

The eventual result was England losing their way in an unlikely pursuit of 373 on a rapidly deteriorating surface in Nottingham. That too against a severely depleted New Zealand attack, reduced at one point to just two frontline fast bowlers in Nathan Smith and Zak Foulkes, who had come in as a concussion substitute for Blair Tickner in the first innings.

This inexplicable kamikaze-style implosion only felt worse considering it came on the same day that Daryl Mitchell produced an all-time classic, unbeaten on 100 off 241 balls, through pure grit, determination and pain tolerance. Exposing the delusional aspect of the Bazball approach that has always seemed to escape England's current hierarchy, where their idea of running towards danger - which is in fact what Mitchell did - is if anything running away from it. The real reasons behind why Stokes decided this was the right time, and more importantly the right way for him to go out, should be revealed in the coming days and weeks.

But for now, you could argue that he deserved to be the lead protagonist in the last chapter of his inspirational career. Some might insist that everything he did on Sunday was calculated and a strategic way of sending a strong, unsubtle message to the powers that be. In a way, as ludicrous as it felt in the context of the Test, Stokes' opening salvo was after all also him trying to be what he's always thrived on becoming, the ultimate disruptor. It's just that his bat no longer helps him write the kind of unbelievable scripts that 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, in which 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.

It's safe to say that for the most overexposed cricketer of his generation, maybe only behind Virat Kohli, Stokes has remained an enigma. He's been a man full of surprises right till the finish line. Whether it's his astonishing announcement on Sunday morning, which left poor Jacob Bethell in such shock that he didn't recover by the time he shouldered arms to a pretty straight delivery later in the day, or the time he tapped Gay on his shoulder and ran up the stairs to pair up with Ben Duckett at the top of the order in his last Test innings. There were always multiple layers to every bit of the Stokes story. It was, like he said himself, "never simple".

The one common thread probably though has been the significance of Test tours to Australia and the impact they've had on him at every stage of his career. From his first tour, where he announced himself with a maiden ton in only his second Test, at the WACA in December 2013, to his final away Ashes campaign last summer where, as Stokes would confess, he realised time was running out.

It was poignant then to hear Stokes reveal last night that the man who made his first mark on Australian soil by standing up against the menace of Mitchell Johnson even while everyone else around him had surrendered the fight, had felt like he had no more fight left in him on the back of the latest Ashes debacle on Australian soil.

It was however a reminder of why Stokes has been among the most engaging cricketers of his era. And how he remained must-watch television throughout his career. Whether it was the ridiculous feats he'd achieve as a batter or the tireless spells he'd pull off with ball in hand, like the 11-over burst at Trent Bridge on his penultimate day as a Test cricketer. For all the excitement he generated through his performances, there was also that raw emotion he wore on his sleeve in both good and bad times.

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

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

It's unlikely that Stokes will be remembered for his numbers, in spite of how impressive they are, being only the second all-rounder after Jacques Kallis with over 7000 Test runs and 250 wickets. He was what you'd call a "moments" cricketer but not one who could be defined by a single moment. From his era-defining innings in the 2019 Headingley Test to his double century in Cape Town and applying the finishing touches to two World Cup wins for England, and more in between.

And it was only poetic that he'd create 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. It was very reminiscent of how the Leeds crowd had reacted to his now epochal square drive off Pat Cummins to finish the greatest Test run chase of this century.

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