“Begins with S ends with E,” Ben Stokes has his say on England’s biggest issue in ODI cricket

Stokes had called time on his 50-over career in July last year.

Ben Stokes, who was part of England’s ODI World Cup triumph in 2019, had called time on his 50-over career in July last year, citing that he was not being able to give his 100 percent and playing all three formats amid a busy schedule is "unsustainable" for him.

Not only Stokes, but the jam-packed schedule has also forced quite a few cricketers to prioritize formats and T20 leagues.

The workload management has taken precedence in Indian cricket as well with players, especially fast bowlers, frequently getting injured due to excessive cricket.

As a result, one-day cricket is bearing the brunt as fewer fans are turning up at the venues with teams not fielding their best XI.

On Friday (January 27), England suffered a 27-run defeat at the hands of South Africa in the first ODI at Bloemfontein.

While batting collapse was a big factor in their loss, Stokes pointed out that ‘schedule’ was another issue that’s troubling the team.

“Begins with S ends with E and has chedul in there as well," Stokes tweeted in response to a query from Wisden that read: “What is England’s biggest issue in ODI cricket?"

While announcing his ODI retirement, Ben Stokes had warned the authorities over the amount of multi-format cricket players are expected to take part in.

"There is too much cricket rammed in for people to play all three formats now," he had said in July 2022. "We are not cars, you can't just fill us up and we'll go out there and be ready to be fuelled up again."