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Ben Stokes reveals why he has decided to retire from ODI Cricket

by
Zainab Shafiq
July 18, 2022

Ben Stokes, the renowned England all-rounder, has decided to step down from One-Day Internationals and will only be seen playing Tests and T20Is in international cricket.

Stokes, concerning his recent form in ODIs, feels another player deserves a place more than him in the crew. He says he can not further manage the burden of three formats at once and retires from ODI cricket to give his best in the rest of the two formats.

Penning out a note on Twitter, the 31-year-old revealed his last ODI match will be against South Africa on Tuesday in Durham. England’s Test skipper is looking forward to ending his ODI career on a winning note.

Furthermore, the all-rounder termed his followers ‘best’ in the world and concluded the farewell note by thanking all his fans for being his supporters. His statements read,

“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,”
“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 like 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,”
Ben Stokes

Notably, Ben played his first ODI match versus Ireland in 2011. He featured in his 104th match of the format versus India at Manchester and will close the ODI format book, undergoing the 105th match against the Proteas on coming Tuesday.