Jos Buttler, the captain of England's white-ball team, referred to Ben Stokes as a "once in a generation player," and Eoin Morgan praised Stokes as a "genuine leader."
The flamboyant all-rounder announced his retirement from the 50-over format on Monday (July 18), which came as a shock to everyone.
At Chester-le-street in Durham on Tuesday, July 19, England faced South Africa in the first ODI, which was Stokes' last in the longest format. The all-rounder had a forgettable outing as he gave away 44 runs in 5 overs with the ball and could only manage 5 off 11 balls with the bat. The Proteas defeated the home team by 62 runs.
The 2019 World Cup final hero signed off with 2919 runs and 74 wickets in 104 ODIs.
"People who play like Ben are once-in-a-generation players, so it's a good challenge for us (as an ODI side) to work out our best way forward as a team without him," Buttler said after the match.
He thanked the all-rounder for his contributions in the 50-over format of the game while also bringing up the all-rounder’s heroics in the World Cup finals.
"From myself and all England fans, we want to say thank you for everything he has done in this format of the game.
"Three years ago (the 2019 World Cup final) will live long in the memory but every day he turns up, whether that be for training or in a match, he puts in 100 percent. He has been a fantastic ambassador for us in ODI cricket."
England’s Test captain has said that due to a busy international calendar, his body was not allowing him to play all three formats. As a result, he was unable to contribute to the ODI team in the way he wanted.
Stokes not playing the longer format will undoubtedly be a big boost for the "purest" format of the game, Buttler admitted.
"We will miss him and 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," he said.
"That's (Tests) his favored 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.
The left-handed batter will continue playing T20Is while leading the Test team.
Former skipper Eoin Morgan, who had retired earlier this summer, expressed his sadness over Stokes' ODI retirement.
"He is a true leader who drags people with him and makes people better players by making them believe anything is possible," Morgan told Sky Sports Cricket.
"It was a huge pleasure to be able to take the field with him for such a long time and for him to retire from this form at 31 years of age is incredibly sad."
(PTI AND SKY SPORTS INPUTS)
