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.
After Stokes played a key role in the Three Lions’ T20 World Cup 2022 victory, it was speculated that the 32-year-old would come out of ODI retirement to help his country defend their 50-over World Cup title in India later this year.
However, Stokes on Wednesday (July 26) ruled out the possibility of making a U-turn on ODI retirement.
"I'm retired," Stokes said in a press conference on the eve of the fifth Ashes Test against Australia at The Oval. "I'm going on holiday after this game and that's as far as I'm thinking."
The England Test captain will use the time out of the game to consider surgery for his long-persistent knee injury.
Stokes suffered a knee injury during England’s tour of New Zealand at the start of the year and managed to play just two matches for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2023 season.
While Stokes has produced some stunning knocks with the bat in the ongoing Ashes series, he hasn’t been able to bowl regularly during Test matches.
“It’s something I obviously want to get sorted," Stokes said of his injury.
"The times in which I've seen specialists and stuff like that there has been cricket around. So, as it's been manageable, we've just cracked on.
"But I think that is a good time to have some serious conversations with medics around what is potentially something I could do to get a role in which I can bowl without having to worry about my knee. Those are conversations we will be able to have in that time off."
The England skipper also expressed his desire to be part of the next Ashes series in Australia at the end of 2025.
"How this series has gone and how close we were, it does make you think when we go to Australia, do we have a better chance than the last few times we've been there," Stokes remarked.
"Hopefully, it'd be nice to go out to Australia in 2025 and have a good chance of winning."
(With ICC Inputs)
