Ben Stokes announces his retirement from ODI cricket

England all-rounder Ben Stokes has announced his retirement from ODI cricket following the first ODI against South Africa. He made his debut in the format in 2011 against Ireland. His elevation to the international arena was done only one year after he played in the U19 World Cup. In the 50-over format, he played 104 games and has 2919 runs to his name including three centuries and 21 fifties.

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He needs only 81 runs in his final game to finish with 3000 ODI runs. Talking about his bowling, the New Zealand-born player has 74 wickets to his name. Fans might remember him playing an important role in the Three Lions' first ODI World Cup win in 2019. During the tournament, he contributed with the bat and ball. In the final against his country of birth, he stayed till the end and managed to tie the game for the eventual winners.

A few months ago, he was elevated as Test captain and before that, he was reported to be missing ODIs during the ongoing English summer. Seems like he was planning to retire from the format. In a post made by the left-hander batter and right-arm bowler, he said that playing three formats have become unsustainable for him.

❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/xTS5oNfN2j

— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) July 18, 2022

"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.

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," Ben Stokes wrote on Twitter. He also drew light on his workload.

"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. 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 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," the 31-year-old wrote on Twitter," he added.