England all-rounder Ben Stokes declared his retirement from One Day Internationals on Monday. He mentioned that his final match will be on 19th July against South Africa. Stokes decided to withdraw from ODIs as a whole because he believes that playing all three formats at once is not sustainable for him at present.
Stokes said that he had decided to stop playing this format despite the fact that it was an inexplicably difficult decision to make. He cherishes every minute of playing the game for England alongside his mates. He went on to say that the journey they have had so far was incredible.
Ben Stokes has made an appearance in 104 One Day Internationals and racked up 2919 runs at an average of 39.45. His unbeaten 84 against New Zealand in the championship game at Lord’s landed England the ODI World Cup in 2019.
The news garnered mixed emotions from the netizens:-
From featuring in an ICC Men's U19 Cricket World Cup in 2010 to becoming an ICC Men's @cricketworldcup champion in 2019 ?
— ICC (@ICC) July 18, 2022
A special ODI player, and what a career!
Thank you, @benstokes38! pic.twitter.com/uIFjafwEAe
11 years and countless ODI memories ❤️
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 18, 2022
Thank you, @benstokes38 ? pic.twitter.com/TroqvkZwsw
? BREAKING NEWS ?
— England’s Barmy Army (@TheBarmyArmy) July 18, 2022
Ben Stokes will retire from ODI cricket following tomorrows game at Durham.
Won us the World Cup, job done ✅ pic.twitter.com/2nJd6UVgIs
The retirement of Ben Stokes from ODI cricket is surprising and he will be sorely missed from this format. However, his decision to prioritise Tests is markedly different from most cricketers, who retire from the elite format for the financial riches of franchise cricket.
— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) July 18, 2022
Indian skipper, Virat Kohli shared a post following the news of Stokes’ retirement and characterised him as one of the most competitive players he has been up against.
Good Luck Ben Stokes ♥️ pic.twitter.com/Yz5iyIPYf1
— RVCJ Media (@RVCJ_FB) July 18, 2022
On Twitter, some of the ex-cricketers reacted to his retirement in their distinctive ways.
Stokes has made a selfless decision for the benefit of the England team. #BenStokes #ENGvsSA #eng
— Monty Panesar (@MontyPanesar) July 18, 2022
No one listens to his body better than the player himself. A well thought, selfless decision by a great player who gave his best to England cricket. #benstokes
— Mohammed Azharuddin (@azharflicks) July 18, 2022
Ben Stokes announces retirement from ODIs https://t.co/IFoaQosQWA
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) July 18, 2022
Additionally, Ben Stokes strongly connects to the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was recognised as the 2017 season’s “Most Valuable Player.” He moved to Rajasthan Royals in 2018 and quickly established himself as one of the team’s top scorers.
Ben Stokes. ODIs. It's been an honour. ?? pic.twitter.com/PxAekj9vE5
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) July 18, 2022
??? ?????? ?? ????, ??? ??????! ?❤️
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) July 18, 2022
???????’s World Cup hero Ben Stokes announces retirement from ODI cricket! He will be playing his last match against ?? tomorrow. ?#BenStokes #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/NpBtgCSENk
On hearing that Stokes will be retiring, besides the cricket fraternity, cricket enthusiasts from all across the world expressed their sorrow.
“No way! No, no way! You cannot do that Ben Stokes!”pic.twitter.com/EPaBSVCiJo
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) July 18, 2022
Well played Ben Stokes. We Salute… pic.twitter.com/DDkt965Pcw
— Caribbean Cricket Podcast (@CaribCricket) July 18, 2022
In his ODI career span, Stokes has delivered some magnificent performances. But now owing to physical limitations, he finds it challenging to play in all three formats.
He says that three forms are no longer manageable for him. Because of the schedule and the demands placed upon them, he feels as though not only his body is failing him, but he is depriving another player who can give Jos a place in the squad. He believes that it is time for another cricketer to make progress and etch fantastic memories as he had in his career spanning over a decade. With this decision, he is determined to focus his full attention on the T20 format.