After Ben Stokes announced his retirement from the One-Day International cricket, England Cricket Board interim CEO Clare Connor praised him.
“Ben Stokes is a superstar in every format of our game. His remarkable contribution to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Final at Lord’s in 2019 enabled England Men to win that prestigious trophy for the first time,” Connor said.
“Ben is not only one of the world’s best players but an inspirational figure too so our ODI team will miss him. But having taken on the Test captaincy and with today’s busy calendar of cricket, we completely understand and respect his decision. We look forward to watching him excite and enthral in an England shirt for many years to come.”
Stokes said representing England in all three formats was “just unsustainable”. He will now focus on T20 along with his responsibilities as Test captain, succeeding Joe Root.
“This has been an incredibly tough decision to make,” Stokes said. “I have loved every minute of playing with my mates for England. Hard as this decision was to come to, it’s not as hard as 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 the team their all.”
England Men’s Cricket managing director Rob Key also had nothing but compliments for Stokes, saying his decision was “selfless”.
“Ben Stokes has had an incredible international career in ODI cricket, culminating in his match-winning performance at the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final,” Key said. “I know this must have been a tough decision, but I completely understand why he has reached this conclusion.”
“I’m sure that when we look back on Ben’s career and see this as one of the reasons he will play 120-plus Tests and help England in T20 matches and World Cups for many years to come. It is a typically selfless decision that will benefit England long-term.”
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Stokes’ career
Stokes has played in 104 ODI matches, helping England win Super Over. Stokes has a 39.44 batting average in 104 ODI games. He has brought 74 wickets since he made his debut in Ireland in 2011.
Stokes is the 19th all-around player on England’s all-time list for both runs scored and wickets taken. He was named player of the Match in England’s Incredible World Cup win in 2019.
He has not played a T20 international for 16 months, missing the World Cup last autumn while taking a break from crickets to focus more on his mental health.
On Monday, it was reported that Stokes would be playing his final ODI match on Tuesday against South Africa at Durham. It will be his 105th game in the 50-over format.
