DURHAM: England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler has opened up on the shocking ODI retirement of Ben Stokes and said that his retirement should be a wake-up call.
Stokes, who announced his retirement from ODI cricket on Monday, citing that the three formats are unsustainable for him, shook the cricketing fraternity regarding the gruelling schedule for the cricketers.
“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,” Stokes said.
The world cup-winning all-rounder then made strong remarks about the busy schedule on Tuesday morning by saying that ‘we are not cars’.
“We are not cars, you can’t just fill us up with petrol or diesel,” he stated.
“We had a Test series and then the one-day team had a series going on at the same time – that was a bit silly,” he maintained.
After England’s fifth defeat out of the seven matches since Eoin Morgan’s retirement, newly-appointed England captain Buttler urged that it should be a wake-up call for the authorities.
“It should definitely be a bit of a wake-up call. Absolutely. Especially with the magnitude of the player. Ben’s one of the most recognisable players in world cricket, someone everyone wants to see play in every format,” Buttler said in a post-match press conference after England’s 62-run loss to South Africa in the series opener.
“I’m sure there’s more to it than the schedules etc but I think in international cricket you always want your best players playing if possible,” he further added.
England’s white-ball captain Buttler then went on to term Stokes’ ODI retirement bittersweet as it will give Stokes ample time to give it all in the longest form of the game.
“It’s bittersweet as an England fan. There’s a bit of sadness that Ben is no longer available in this form of the game. But our loss in ODI cricket is certainly going to be England’s gain in Test cricket,” Buttler stated.
“That’s his favoured format and his priority, especially now he’s captain, and I’m sure it will give him much more longevity in the purest form of the game,” he added.
