Picture Credit: Twitter
The first One-day International between England and South Africa will be the last 50-over game of one of England's most celebrated all-rounders Ben Stokes. The England cricketer will be playing his last ODI at his home ground- the Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street. The match is scheduled to take place on July 19.
Taking to Twitter, Ben Stokes posted a note mentioning that his body is not allowing him to play all the formats stating that playing three formats is 'just unsustainable.' While the whole cricket fraternity expressed their tribute to world cup winning player, former Indian skipper Virat Kohli commented on Stokes' Instagram post claiming the England all-rounder as the 'most competitive bloke.' "You're the most competitive bloke I've ever played against. Respect," Kohli wrote on Stokes' Instagram post.
[caption id="attachment_126597" align="alignnone" width="600"]
(Picture Credit: Instagram)[/caption]
Earlier, the England all-rounder stated that it's hard for him to take this decision but he wants to leave the space for someone who deserves it more. "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% of myself in this format anymore. The England shirt deserves nothing less from anyone who wears it," he further added.
Notably, Ben Stokes has played 104 ODIs for England, scoring 2,919 runs at an average of 39.44 and taken 74 wickets.
The all-rounder was a standout performer in the 2019 World Cup as he played an unbeaten knock of 84-runs against New Zealand in the summit clash, winning the Player of the Match. He also captained the ODI side during England's 3-0 win over Pakistan last year. At present, Stokes is the captain of the England Test side. Under his leadership, England defeated New Zealand 3-0 in the Test series and then outplayed India in the Edgbaston Test.