Benjamin Andrew Stokes the 31-year-old English cricketer and Captain of the England Test team who has been awarded the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire announces his retirement from one-day cricket to focus more on Test matches as Captain.
He posted on his Twitter handle saying that he will play his last game for England in ODI cricket on Tuesday in Durham. However, he has decided to retire from the ODI matches as he wants to give “100% of ” himself in cricket Test and T20 matches by saying, “I will give everything I have to Test cricket…I feel I can also give my total commitment to the T20 format.”
He has also explained his reasons for retirement saying, “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.”
Stokes will play his last ODI match for England against South Africa in Durham on July 19. He has played almost 104 ODI matches for England along with being the player-of-the-match at Lord’s by winning the World Cup of 2019.
The managing director of England men’s cricket Rob Key said, “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. I know this must have been a tough decision, but I completely understand why he has reached this conclusion. ” He also added that his decision to retirement is “a typically selfless” act that will benefit England’s cricket team in long run.
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— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) July 18, 2022
