England star Ben Stokes recently dropped a huge bombshell on the cricket world by announcing his retirement from One-Day Internationals.
Earlier this week, the England Test skipper announced that Tuesday’s (July 19) ODI against South Africa at his home ground of Durham would be his final game in the 50-over format.
Unsurprisingly, his decision took everyone by surprise as the cricket world could not understand the reason behind it. Stokes has been one of the best if not the best allrounder in the world for quite some time now.
Why did Ben Stokes retire:
Just three years ago, Ben Stokes had powered England to their first-ever World Cup triumph in ODIs. At just 31, he still has a lot of cricket left in him but has decided to play only the Tests and the T20Is.
And while the world was busy finding the reason behind Stokes’ retirement, the allrounder has himself revealed it. The New Zealand-born star has revealed that he could no longer fully commit to the 50-over format of the game, after taking up the England Test captaincy.
“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 team-mates 100% of myself in this format any more,” said Ben Stokes.
“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,” he added.
Ben Stokes further stated that playing in all the three formats is not sustainable for him anymore, saying: “Three formats are just unsustainable for me now.”
Former England captain Nasser Hussain also agreed with Stokes’ reason and said that the jam-packed schedule needed looking at. Expressing his disappointment over Stokes’ retirement, Hussain said:
“It is disappointing news to say the least but it is a reflection of where the cricketing schedule is at the moment. It is madness for players.
“If the ICC just keep putting on ICC events and individual boards just keep filling the gaps with as much cricket as possible, eventually these cricketers will just say I’m done.
“Stokes is done with one format aged 31, which can’t be right, really. The schedule needs looking at, it is a bit of a joke at the moment,” he added.