"It Is A Blow No Doubt, But The Format Isn't In Trouble" - Scott Styris After Ben Stokes' Retirement
Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris asserted that the 50-over format is not under threat at the moment after discussions fueled up following Ben Stokes’ shock retirement from ODI cricket.
Stokes confirmed that Tuesday’s match against South Africa at Chester-le-Street was going to be his last game in the 50-over format. He played 105 ODIs for England and scored 2876 runs while taking 74 wickets.
Stokes’ most memorable moment in the format came in the 2019 ODI World Cup final against New Zealand where he was awarded the Player of the Match.
“Do I think the format is in a bit of trouble? No, I don’t, a year out from the World Cup, we remember how big a tournament it was in 2019. Let’s always look at the positives, I think it might well be that the Indian T20 league is a beneficiary here and we get back to Ben Stokes being in the tournament,” the Kiwi said in an interaction with Sports18.
“It’s just that something has to give in today’s game” – Scott Styris
Styris felt that playing all three formats isn’t feasible anymore and the players will start to realize the same. The international calendar is stacked for the big teams and the players will have to decide what they want to be a part of.
“It is a blow, no doubt it, if the Man of the Match from the last final isn’t there for the next tournament. But it’s just that something has to give in today’s game. There is an enjoyment factor for the players, what am I best at factor as well and for someone like Stokes, I am sure he would have weighed all of that up,” he added.
Stokes is also the captain of the Test team and he has already committed most of his time to bringing England back to the top in the longest format of the game.
Tagged:
Scott Styris
