Ben Stokes announces retirement from ODI, says three formats unsustainable

by The Journal Story July 19, 2022 0 Comment

The 31-year-old all-rounder announced his last match would be England’s one-day match against South Africa, as he looks to lead the Test team.

After the match against South Africa in Durham, Ben will end his career in the one-dayers. England has won four games under Ben. Now he is looking to reduce his workload and focus on tests.

Although he has not played a T20 International in over a year, he still plans to give his total commitment to the format for England. He could not participate in last year’s T20 World Cup as he was taking a break from cricket to focus on his mental health.

In the 50-over format, he averaged 41.79 with the ball and 39.44 with the bat, making him one of the best all-rounders in the game. In addition, his parts in the middle order have been crucial to the team’s success.

“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,” he added.

The T20I series against South Africa and The Hundred franchise tournament for the Northern Superchargers will be missed by Stokes. The Pakistan series in September will be his next opportunity to set up for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

It is a bigger problem for cricket administrators to have those who could follow in his footsteps. It is unrealistic for an all-around cricketer like Ben Stokes to cope with the demands of international cricket because of the increased power of the franchise T20 league.