After announcing his decision to retire from ODI cricket, ben Stokes stepped out to the field for the first time. And to no one’s surprise, his eyes were moist as he led the team into the ground.
It was the first ODI between England and South Africa. But sadly, it was the final match for Ben Stokes in this particular format. And he was playing in front of his home crowd.
Stokes cried on his way to the field for a final time
Ben Stokes received a standing ovation from the crowd as he made his way to the ground in the first inning. The emotions were definitely running high, and the all-rounder couldn’t keep them in. As a result, he was seen walking onto the pitch with moist eyes.
Stokes was England’s hero in the 2019 ODI world cup. It was because of his heroics that England was able to win their first ever world cup. So, it was definitely sad to see Stokes retiring, especially when there is so much cricket left in him.
The player was recently appointed as the captain in the longest format of the game for England. And the English test side has made a commendable comeback under his leadership.
Stokes is retiring due to unsustainability
Earlier in the summer, they clean swept New Zealand, 3-0 in a test series. Later also managed to draw the test series 2-2 against India. They had a new approach identified as “Bazzball,” in which they came out all gun blazing while batting. This new approach procured four results for England in four games, as they chased huge totals in the final inning.
However, it seems that the new opportunity of test captaincy is too much for Stokes. Hence, the player has decided to hang his boot in the ODI format.
Talking about his decision, Stokes said,
“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.”
Stokes has represented England in 105* ODIs. In which he scored 2919* at an average of 39. He has 21 fifties and 3 centuries to his name. With the ball in hand, he has 74 wickets to his name, with 5/61 being his best figures in an inning.
This doesn’t mean that Ben Stokes will not be seen in the English colors again. The player will continue to represent England in the T20 format. And is likely to play a huge role for his team in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.
