New Delhi: England cricket team's star all-rounder Ben Stokes, one of the major contributors to his team's World Cup-winning run in 2019, will retire from One-Day cricket following Tuesday’s Royal London International against South Africa to focus on his role as Test captain. He will play his career's last ODI match on his home ground at the Seat Unique Riverside.
Meanwhile, Ben Stokes has replied to former India skipper Virat Kohli's comment on his ODI retirement announcement post on Instagram.
“You’re the most competitive bloke I’ve ever played against. Respect,” Kohli commented on Stokes' Instagram post on Monday.
"Yeah, Virat's gonna go down as one of the greatest ever players to have ever played
the game in all three formats," Stokes told cricketer-turned-commentator Nasser Hussain in a Sky Sports show when asked about Kohli's Instagram comment.
"He's a phenomenal player. I have absolutely loved it every time I have played against him. The energy and the commitment that he gives it on the field is something that I've admired even before I started playing against him. When you play against guys like that, you understand what the game means not only to you but for others who are lucky enough to play it. I'm sure we're gonna have some more battles on the field," Stokes added.
Stokes said it was a hard decision to retire from ODI cricket.
“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,” Stokes wrote in the post.
“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. The England shirt deserves nothing less from anyone who wears it," he added.