Durham, July 18: England all-rounder Ben Stokes announced on Monday that he will retire from ODI cricket after Tuesday’s match against South Africa at his home ground, Riverside Ground, at Chester-le-Street in Durham.
Stokes made his ODI debut against Ireland in 2011 and has scored 2919 runs in 104 ODIs, averaging 39.44, including three centuries and 21 half-centuries, and picked 74 wickets at an average of 41.79. “I will play my last game for England in ODI cricket on Tuesday in Durham. I have decided to retire from this format. 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,” said Stokes in a statement by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Stokes cited the workload of playing three formats in international cricket and giving a youngster a chance as reasons behind retiring from ODIs. (IANS)
