Ben Stokes announces retirement from ODI cricket, first game against South Africa set to be his last one-day
England’s maverick all-rounder and star player Ben Stokes have announced his retirement from ODI cricket after the first One Day International against South Africa tomorrow. This game is slated to be played at his home ground Chester Le-Street, Durham.
Stokes represented England in 104 ODIs scoring 2919 runs at an average of 39.44. The southpaw scored three centuries and 21 fifties in the format. He has also played a vital role in England’s journey to the title triumph during the Men’s ODI World Cup 2019
This has been an incredibly tough decision to make – Ben Stokes
“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,” Stokes said in the statement.
“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 all,” the all-rounder added.
The most memorable performance of Ben stokes came in the big game of the World Cup final. It was against the Blackcaps at the biggest of stages in the World Cup final in 2019 where the talismanic all-rounder scored 84 off 98 balls smashing five fours and two sixes. Stokes was England’s last hope in the finals. He batted with the tailenders to guide his team to their first-ever world cup triumph. The 31-year-old held his nerve in the final over and smashed a six on the third ball as England needed 15 from the last four balls.
Stokes was awarded player of the match in the final of the 2019 World Cup
The batter never let the pressure get to him. The 31-year-old has always relished the opportunity of performing in the big games. The batter played his cards well and took calculated risks in the final overs. He played the knock of his life as England managed to tie with New Zealand. Eventually, the latter won the Super Over on the ‘boundary-count rule’ to have their hands on their first-ever World Cup Trophy. Stokes was ‘Player of the match for his amazing performance.
The all-rounder has also picked up 74 wickets at an average of 41.79 with one five-wicket haul to his name. In an official statement released on the website of ECB, Stokes thanked his fans for their support.
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