Story Highlights
- Ben Stokes retires from ODI cricket
- Will play last match against South Africa
Taking a shocking decision, England all-rounder Ben Stokes has retired from ODI cricket. Stokes will play the last match against South Africa on Tuesday (July 19). The 31-year-old Stokes has played 104 ODIs and will end his ODI career at his home ground.
The memorable moment of Ben Stokes’ ODI career was the final of the 2019 World Cup held at Lord’s, where he scored an unbeaten 84 against New Zealand to send the match into the Super Over. Then later England won their first World Cup title and Ben Stokes was the player of the match.
Sharing this news on Twitter, Stokes said, ‘I will play my last ODI cricket match for England in Durham on Tuesday. I have decided to retire from this format. Making this decision has been incredibly difficult. I have loved every minute of the game with my teammates in the England team. We have had an incredible journey during this time.
He further said, ‘I will give everything to Test cricket and now with this decision, I feel that I am fully committed to contribute in the T20 format. I would like to wish Jos Buttler, Matthew Mott, the players and support staff for further success. We have made a lot of progress in white-ball cricket in the last seven years and the future looks very bright.
Ben Stokes said, ‘England fans have always been there for me and will continue to be so. You are the best supporter in the world. I hope we win on Tuesday and set up the series against South Africa well.
Ben Stokes ODI career
Ben Stokes has so far scored 2919 runs in 104 ODIs at an average of 39.44, including three centuries and 21 half-centuries. His highest score in ODI is 102 runs. Talking about bowling, he took 74 wickets in 87 innings at an average of 41.79. During this his economy rate was 6.03. His best performance with the ball has been five wickets for 61 runs.
Will continue to play T20 and Test
Ben Stokes will continue to represent England in T20 and Test cricket. Stokes was appointed the captain of England’s Test team a few months back. Under Stokes’ captaincy, England beat New Zealand 3-0. After this, his team also won against India in Edgbaston Test.
