Ben stokes retirement

An exhausted Ben Stokes during the ceremony after helping England to win the World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord’s in July 2019. Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP An exhausted Ben Stokes during the ceremony after helping England to win the World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord’s in July 2019. Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP Read more Rather poetically, he will bid farewell to the format after winning his 105th ODI cap at the Riverside in Chester-le-Street, County Durham on Tuesday. It is the ground that Ged and Deborah Stokes used to drive their restless, sports-mad son to from their home in Cockermouth some three times a week, two hours each way, in an act of selfless parenting that lit the fire for a remarkable sporting career. Ben Stokes, England cricketer and totemic Test captain, powers on, of course. In fact more so, in terms of where, aged 31, he wants to direct his energies. Modern all-format stars do not tend to jack it all in at once anyway, rather strip away that which means least to them and design their latter years weighing up health, wealth and happiness. When they do so it says a bit about the player and plenty about the sport. And Stokes could not have been clearer about the bigger picture here, citing an “unsustainable schedule” and his fear of letting down teammates. For a cricketer paid by one of the boards responsible for this, to be so explicit in pushing back is quite the thing. After all, in practical terms Stokes did n0t have to announce this rig...

England’s World Cup hero Ben Stokes has announced his shock retirement from one-day cricket, departing with a word of warning about the “unsustainable” schedule. Stokes’ bloody-minded brilliance was the inspiration behind England’s historic victory in the 2019 World Cup final, defying the odds to score 84 not out in a tied match against New Zealand and then coming back out to settle things via a super over. But in three years since that triumphant moment, the country’s star all-rounder has played just nine more times in the 50-over format, due to injuries, a mental health break and workload management. And while that will be a chance to celebrate his achievements over the course of 11 years, he made it clear in a carefully worded statement – issued personally on his social media accounts then shared by his employers at the ECB – that England’s exhausting fixture list has been a factor in forcing his hand. A born competitor, he has concluded that the demands currently being placed on the country’s all-format players are becoming impossible to manage. “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,” he said. “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 team-mates 100% of myself in this format any more. The England shirt deserves nothing less from anyone who wears it. “Three ...

"Stokesy messaged me with a question mark -- 'Ashes?'," Moeen told reporters at Edgbaston on Tuesday. Moeen said he had not heard the news about Leach, who has a back injury, and thought Stokes was joking. "Then the news came through and I had a chat with him," he said. "That was it. It's the Ashes. To be part of it would be amazing." Moeen, who turns 36 on Sunday, last played Test cricket in September 2021. But his developing relationship with Stokes -- the pair were together with Chennai Super Kings during this year's Indian Premier League -- proved the difference. Asked if there was any other captain who could have persuaded him to change his mind, Moeen replied: "Probably not, no." A powerful batsman as well as an off-spinner, Moeen has played 64 Tests for England, taking 195 wickets and scoring 2,914 runs. But Australia have proved tough opponents for Moeen, with his career bowling average shooting up from 36.66 to 64.65 in Ashes cricket. Nevertheless, he said he is relishing the chance to be involved as England bid for a first Ashes series win since 2015. "The fact that it is the Ashes and it is such a big series, to be part of it would be amazing," said Moeen. England have won 11 of their 13 Tests since Stokes joined forces with coach "There are no question marks over any shots you play, which gives me licence to play a few more rash shots, I guess.

Stokes, whose final ODI will be against South Africa on Tuesday, said he remains fully committed to Twenty20 internationals as well as the test captaincy. His retirement from the 50-over format ends a career that peaked with ODIs will no longer be part of the punishing schedule of a 31-year-old superstar all-rounder who had a break from the sport last year for his mental health. "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 per cent of myself in this format anymore," Stokes said. "The England shirt deserves nothing less from anyone who wears it. "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 [England ODI captain] Jos [Buttler] and the rest of the team their all." The match against South Africa will be Stokes's 105th ODI for England and comes at the Riverside ground at Chester-le-Street, the home of his county team Durham. Stokes's defining performance in ODIs came in the 2019 World Cup final at Lord's when he scored 84 not out as England tied New Zealand's score and then eight more runs in the deciding super over. Read more In three years since Stokes has played just nine more ODIs. Since Stokes had scores of 0, 21 and 27 in an ODI series against India this month that England lost 2-1. "I will give everything I have to Test cri...

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 their all. It's time for someone else to progress as a cricketer and make incredible memories like I have over the past 11 years," said Stokes 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 After making his ODI debut against Ireland in 2011, Stokes has scored 2919 runs, including three centuries, and taken 74 wickets. Listen to the Rob Key, Managing Director of England Men's Cricket, said: "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." "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.