Star England National Cricket Team all-rounder Ben Stokes has said that he will be retiring from the One Day Internationals (ODIs) after the first ODI of the three-match ODI series against the South Africa National Cricket Team, which will be played at the Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street on Tuesday. The England National Cricket Team Test captain Ben Stokes has said that he will retire from ODIs due to the physical and mental demands of the international schedule. Stokes was appointed as red-ball captain of Team England after an awful run of the team under the leadership of Joe Root.
So far the Ben Stokes-led England has done a sensational job in Test cricket and they have been undefeated. England has dominated in the 4 games they have played under the leadership of Stokes against New Zealand and India and have won the games by chasing the targets in the 4th innings. Stokes recently played the ODI series against India and was set to play the upcoming ODI series against South Africa. However, he has now decided to quit ODI cricket.
In an official statement, Ben Stokes said that he can’t give his 100% to England in ODIs. He added that making the decision to retire from ODIs was very tough for him. However, Stokes said that “three formats are just unsustainable” for him. “I can’t give my teammates 100% of myself in this format anymore,” Stokes said in a statement. 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. 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 they are all. It’s time for someone else to progress as a cricketer and make incredible memories as I have over the past 11 years.” Overall, Ben Stokes has played 103 ODIs and has scored 2892 runs at an average of 39.6 and a strike rate of 95.3. Also, with his fast bowling, he has picked up 74 wickets at an economy of 6.02 and an average of 41.6.
