Ben Stokes to retire from ODIs after home farewell
The 31-year-old has chosen to focus on the Tests and T20 after deeming playing all three formats “unsustainable” for him.
Ben Stokes, Man of the Match in England’s 2019 World Cup final win against New Zealand at Lord’s, has announced that Tuesday’s ODI against South Africa at Durham’s Chester-le-Street will be his last in the format. Appointed England’s Test captain in April, the 31-year-old has chosen to focus on the Tests and T20 after deeming playing all three formats “unsustainable” for him.
Stokes, who made his debut in 2011 against Ireland, will be playing his last ODI at his home ground. In 104 matches so far, he has scored 2,919 runs at an average of 39.44 and taken 74 wickets. Crowning moment of his brief but illustrious career was the 2019 World Cup final that was won after a thrilling Super Over, partly because Martin Guptill’s throw from the deep had deflected off Stokes’s outstretched bat and gone for a boundary. The match wouldn’t have gone that far had Stokes not scored 84 and featured in 110-run partnership with Jos Buttler, the current white-ball captain.
“This has been an incredibly tough decision to make,” Stokes said in his statement. “I have loved every minute of playing with my mates for England. As hard as this decision was to come to, it’s not as hard as dealing with the fact I can’t give my teammates 100% of myself in this format any more. 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 (Buttler) and the rest of the team their all.”
Stokes has struggled to play all formats since the pandemic began in 2020. After injuring his finger in the 2021 IPL, Stokes took an indefinite break from cricket on July 31, meaning he didn’t play T20Is for almost 16 months, including the 2021 World Cup in the UAE. This decision probably means Stokes is clearing his path to be available for this year’s T20 World Cup in Australia. The last time Stokes had featured in a T20 World Cup he was hit for four consecutive sixes by West Indies’ Carlos Brathwaite in an epic final at Eden Gardens. Stokes’s retirement though will be a blow to England’s 50-over World Cup defence next year considering Eoin Morgan too has retired from all formats.
ICC’s Player of the Year in 2019, Wisden’s leading Cricketer in the World in 2020 and 2021, Stokes ranks seventh in ODI wickets for England since his debut, behind Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes, Steven Finn, Liam Plunkett, Moeen Ali and David Willey. Since the start of the 2019 World Cup however, Stokes has taken only 11 wickets in 20 games in ODIs.
"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,” said Stokes. "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."