England all-rounder Ben Stokes on Monday announced his retirement from the ODI cricket. He also added that he will play his last ODI against England against South Africa in Durham on Tuesday.
Stokes was recently appointed as captain of the men’s Test in England after Joe Root stepped down. Under his leadership, England completed the clean sweep 3-0 at home against New Zealand and then won the fifth-rescheduled Test against India.
After the ODI debut against Ireland in 2011, Stokes scored 2919 runs in 104 matches with three centuries and took 74 wickets in the format.
His match-winning efforts in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 remain a highlight, while his unbeaten 84* helped the match to be sent to the super over so that England won the ICC World Cup for the first time under the leadership of Eoin Morgan.
But on Monday Stokes made a surprise announcement to retire from ODI cricket, saying playing three formats has become “unsustainable” for him.
“I will play my last game for England in ODI cricket on Tuesday in Durham. I have decided to retire from this format. This has been an incredibly tough decision to make. I have loved every minute of playing with my mates for England. We have had an incredible journey on the way.” Stokes said in a statement on Monday.
“As hard as a decision as this was to come to, it’s not as hard dealing with the fact I can’t give my teammates 100% of myself in this format anymore. The England shirt deserves nothing less from anyone who wears it.
“Three formats are just unsustainable for me now. Not only do I feel that my body is letting me down because of the schedule and what is expected of us, but I also feel that I am taking the place of another player who can give Jos and the rest of the team their all. It’s time for someone else to progress as a cricketer and make incredible memories as I have over the past 11 years.
“I will give everything I have to Test cricket, and now, with this decision, I feel I can also give my total commitment to the T20 format.
“I would like to wish Jos Buttler, Matthew Mott, the players, and the support staff every success going forward. We have made great strides in white-ball cricket over the past seven years, and the future looks bright.
“I have loved all 104 games I have played so far, I’ve got one more, and it feels amazing to be playing my last game at my home ground in Durham.
“As always, the England fans have always been there for me and will continue to be there. You’re the best fans in the world. I hope we can win on Tuesday and set the series up nicely against South Africa.”
