Cricket News: Ben Stokes retires from ODI but will continue to play T20 and Test

The 2019 World Cup-winning England squad star cleared his intention to focus on T20I and Test from now on. He will play his last ODI on 19th July against South Africa at his home ground Durham.  

"I will play my last game for England in ODI cricket on Tuesday in Durham. I have decided to retire from this format," said Ben Stokes on Twitter.

Is ODI more stressful than a 5-day test or a distraction now?

"Three formats are just unsustainable for me now." Ben Stokes expressed his reasons for retirement on Twitter. He added, "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."

Debuting 2011, the star player has played 104 ODIs for England, accumulating 2919 runs at an average of 39.44. His most memorable knock remains his starring performance in the finals of the 2019 World Cup, where he scored an unbeaten 84 against New Zealand to win the title. 

But as cricket progresses, the players try to find the right place for themselves. With test captaincy, Ben Stokes showed the world what kind of aggression he is ready to bring, and T20 is the current hot seat. Also, after India's last ODI series defeat, his failed performance would have raised questions about where he wanted to be. 

With the kind of cricket players participate in, regulating the workload is essential, and Ben Stokes seems to keep a strict track of it. He took his name out of the Hundred's draft to manage workload and now announced his retirement from one-day internationals, which probably is a distraction for him, keeping Test cricket and T20 World Cup in the picture.

Is this the start of a new trend?

With all the domestic T20 leagues growing and occupying the calendar and test cricket considered the most respectable format, ODI somewhere is left ignored. Fans are either interested in a quick fire through of T20 or a proper battle of the test match. ODI somewhere is losing meaning, and with Ben Stokes taking the decision, many other cricketers might join the trend to take a step back from one or the other format to manage workload.

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