England’s 50-over World Cup hero Ben Stokes has announced his retirement from the format, citing the toll playing all three forms of the game has taken on his body.
Stokes cemented his name in England cricket folklore with his unbelievable unbeaten 84 in the final against New Zealand which helped England claim the 2019 World Cup. He was named the player of the match for his efforts.
He has since been named the captain of the Test side and remains a key part of the T20 set-up but will no longer play the 50-over format, despite the next World Cup being just 12 months away.
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The 31-year-old all-rounder took to Instagram to confirm this week’s one-day clash with South Africa would be his final match in the format for England.
“This has been an incredibly tough decision to make,” he wrote in a lengthy statement.
“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 this was to come to, it’s not as hard as dealing with the fact that I can’t give my teammates 100 per cent 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 (England’s ODI captain) Jos (Buttler) 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.”
The match against South Africa will be Stokes’ 105th ODI for England and comes at the Riverside ground at Chester-le-Street, the home of his county team Durham.
Incredibly in three years since his iconic World Cup final heroics against the Black Caps, Stokes has played just nine more ODIs.
Since taking over the test captaincy in April, Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum have transformed the team with an aggressive, expansive style more reminiscent of ODI and T20 cricket than the often-sedate five-day format.
England swept world test champion New Zealand in their three-match test series last month before beating India in a delayed fifth test of a series carried over from last year.
Stokes had scores of 0, 21 and 27 in an ODI series against India this month that England lost 2-1.
“I completely understand why he has reached this conclusion,” said Rob Key, the managing director of England men’s cricket who installed Stokes as test skipper.
“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.”
Stokes has hit 2,919 runs and taken 74 wickets since making his ODI debut in 2011, becoming the star of the England team that dominated the 50-over game from 2015-19.
Eoin Morgan captained that World Cup-winning team and also recently retired, to be replaced by Buttler under newly appointed white-ball coach Matthew Mott.
“We have made great strides in white-ball cricket over the past seven years,” Stokes said, “and the future looks bright.”