England star all-rounder Ben Stokes has confirmed he will retire from ODI cricket, claiming he is simply unable to give his 100 per cent to all three formats anymore.
The chaos of the cricket calendar has come into focus in recent years, with players regularly being rested from ODI series when they are playing all three formats.
Australia are the latest country to do so, sitting Test captain Pat Cummins out of six ODI matches to start the summer of cricket at home against Zimbabwe and New Zealand in Townsville and Cairns respectively.
Stokes, who has been a multi-format player for years in the English set up, has 83 Tests, 104 ODIs and 34 T20Is under his belt for the nation.
In a statement released on his Twitter account, he claimed what was expected of three-format players was simply too much for him.
“I will play my last game for England in ODI cricket on Tuesday in Durham. I have decided to retire from this format,” he wrote
“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.
“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.
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— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) July 18, 2022
“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.”
