England’s Test captain Ben Stokes surprised the cricket fraternity when he announced retirement from the ODI format after the first match of the ongoing series against South Africa. In his final ODI appearance, Stokes couldn’t make an impact, however, as he was dismissed for just 5 runs.
In his statement, Stokes stated that playing all-three formats had become an unsustainable exercise for him, and that he didn’t want to block the spot for any of his teammates. As he bid farewell to the 50-over format, Stokes addressed his teammates in the dressing room after the loss in the series opener.
“Keep pushing yourselves to the absolute extremes to realise what we’re all capable of.” @benstokes38 to the ODI squad. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/6fyDuJLa2y
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 22, 2022
