England star Ben Stokes will play his last ODI when he takes the field against South Africa on his Durham home ground on Tuesday.
It was a shock announcement from the 31-year-old all-rounder, who guided the Three Lions to the 50-over title at Lord's in 2019. Stokes stated an "unsustainable" schedule had forced him to give up the 50-over format; England completed a white-ball series against India on Sunday and are now playing again within 48 hours.
“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,” England's recently appointed Test captain 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 one-dayer for England and takes place at the Riverside ground at Chester-le-Street, the home of his county team Durham.
Stokes will nonetheless be remembered for his defining innings in the 2019 final at Lord’s, when he scored 84 not out as England tied New Zealand’s score and then starred again in the super over as the hosts won on boundary countback.
However, in three years since, Stokes has played just nine more ODIs.
Still, it is a remarkable career. Before Tuesday's match, Stokes's career stood at 2,919 runs from 104 matches with three centuries and 74 wickets. His best moments in 50-over cricket can be seen in the picture gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.
