One of the world’s best One Day International players has announced his retirement from One Day International cricket. And we can’t be surprised it’s come to this.
Ben Stokes’ ODI days are done. And it is what it is – a huge shame.
England’s all-rounder megastar announced his retirement from the one-day format because it forms part of an ‘unsustainable’ schedule. It confirms what many have been agitating over for years, since the continued emergence of T20s. The world’s best players are asked to play too much cricket. And Ben Stokes is the latest to make a decision on which formats he prioritises.
This is the player that in 2019 produced one of the greatest One Day International innings of all time, hitting 84 not out to help England break New Zealand hearts in the World Cup Final. But going forward, Stokes is prioritising Tests and T20s; probably a fair representation of how many cricket fans also value each of the three major formats.
“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.
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— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) July 18, 2022
The conundrum has been coming for some time and this is one too many top-end talents that’s made this call. It’s hard to imagine Stokes is the last, though. While it can be argued his recent promotion to Test captain adds additional pressure that most international cricketers don’t need to juggle, nobody can be surprised it has come to this.
Even most fans feel the fatigue of a long, hot summer of cricket. And then the one-dayers start.
The problem cricket now has is that the quality of certain formats will become compromised, with elite players missing in action. It’s precisely the problem the Big Bash League is increasingly dealing with – not enough star power. When ODIs start to become a more watered-down product, as more big names follow in Stokes’ footsteps, it’s hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube.
Ben Stokes said playing all three formats is now “unsustainable” for him.
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 18, 2022
England have 138 bilateral fixtures in the next FTP from 2023-27 ????
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Ben Stokes’ retirement from ODIs should send a message to administrations about the crammed schedules. The best players can only do so much. Something has to give.
— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) July 18, 2022
Ben Stokes on Sky Sports: "We’re not cars where you can just fill up with petrol or diesel and then let us go."#ENGvSA
— Nic Savage (@nic_savage1) July 19, 2022
Cricket needs to take what has happened incredibly seriously, or it risks costly erosion of its product. And that won’t be easy to reverse.
Fans aren’t calling for more cricket, only more context. To expect viewers and spectators to continue lapping up meaningless games, like they once might have, is an insult to their intelligence. Cricket administrators, there is really important work to be done.
