Ben Stoke has said that he will be playing his last ODI game on Tuesday 19th July 2022 against South Africa.
This was extremely surprising for everyone as he has had a very coveted career for the England team and still has a couple of years left of his prime before he takes such a harsh step, he has always attracted eyes due to his phenomenal performances and has also been one of the best all rounders of recent times. He is currently a veteran in the English cricket team and has given many match winning performances for his country.
The English all rounder on Monday announced that he will be taking retirement from ODI cricket and expressed this via his twitter handle by sharing a lengthy statement with a picture of him holding the world cup.
“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,” said Stokes in the official statement.
“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,” he added.
Further in his statement, Stokes said: “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. I would like to wish Jos Buttler, Matthew Mott, the players and the support staff every success going forward. We have made great strides in white-ball cricket over the past seven years, and the future looks bright.
“I have loved all 104 games I have played so far, I’ve got one more, and it feels amazing to be playing my last game at my home ground in Durham. 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. I hope we can win on Tuesday and set the series up nicely against South Africa,” he added.
Stokes has played milestone games for his national team and has completed 104 ODIs in his illustrious career scoring 2919 runs at a batting average of 39.44. He had also been crucial for the World Cup win against New Zealand and scored an unbeaten knock of 84 against the Kiwis.
He was also declared the player of the match for the finals.
After making his debut in 2011 against Ireland and scoring over 2919 runs in his ODI career along with 3 centuries and 74 wickets, he even captained his side against Pakistan and won the series 3-0. High pressure situations and challenges have always brought out the best in Stokes and he wishes to give it his all in the other formats while he takes retirement from ODIs.
