Why Did Ben Stokes Suddenly Retire From ODI Cricket?

England all-rounder Ben Stokes announced his retirement from the ODIs on Monday (July 18). He added that he will be playing his last ODI for England on Tuesday against South Africa in Durham. The current England Test captain's ODI career will forever be remembered for his Player-of-the-Match performance in the 2019 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord's.

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Explaining his decision to retire, Stokes said that playing all three formats of the game is just unsustainable for him right now. It is important to note that Stokes was made the Test captain of England earlier this year.

"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 they all. It's time for someone else to progress as a cricketer and make incredible memories as I have over the past 11 years,"

Ben Stokes said in an official statement

"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. 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," he added.

After making his ODI debut against Ireland in 2011, Stokes has scored 2919 runs, including three centuries, and taken 74 wickets.

He captained the ODI side during last summer's 3-0 Royal London Series victory against Pakistan. Moreover, he has been an inspirational leader.

"I know this must have been a tough decision": Rob Key on Ben stokes decision

"Ben Stokes has had an incredible international career in ODI cricket, culminating in his match-winning performance at the 2019 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final. I know this must have been a tough decision, but I completely understand why he has reached this conclusion."

Rob Key, Managing Director of England Men's Cricket, said

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"I'm sure that when we look back on Ben's career and see this as one of the reasons, he will play 120-plus Tests and help England in T20 matches and World Cups for many years to come. It is a typically selfless decision that will benefit England long-term," he added.

"Madness For Players": Nasser Hussain on ICC's current cricket schedule

Former England captain Nasser Hussain weighed said that the current cricket schedule is just "madness for players". His statement came after Ben stokes announces his retirement from ODIs.

"It is disappointing news, to say the least, but it is a reflection of where the cricketing schedule is at the moment. It's madness for players. If the ICC just keeps putting on ICC events and individual boards just keep filling the gaps with as much cricket as possible, eventually these cricketers will just say I'm done.

Stokes is done with one format aged 31, which can't be right, really. The schedule needs looking at, it is a bit of a joke at the moment,"

 Hussain told Sky Sports

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"It looks like 50-over cricket is the one everyone is looking at because everyone loves Test match cricket and everyone loves T20 cricket. The IPL is getting a wider window, so that'll go on for even longer and players will pull out. South Africa has also pulled out of a bilateral series coming up in white-ball cricket which could cost them qualification to the World Cup, and that is a big deal," he added.

"It came as a surprise, to be honest. You thought he would be looked after, in terms of being rested from various white-ball tournaments and formats - he'd already announced he was going to miss white-ball series and The Hundred. To completely knock 50-over cricket on the head is a massive surprise."

Talking about Stokes' decision, Hussain said