London: Former England skipper Nasser Hussain has slammed the crammed cricket calendar and termed it "madness for players" after star all-rounder and 2019 Word Cup final hero Ben Stokes abruptly decided to retire from ODIs. The 31-year-old shocked everyone with the announcement. He said playing three formats had become "unsustainable" for him. The first ODI against South Africa on Tuesday will be his last 50 over game for England.
"It is disappointing news to say the least but it is a reflection of where the cricketing schedule is at the moment. It is madness for players," Hussain wrote in his column. "If the ICC just keep putting on ICC events and individual boards just keep filling the gaps with as much cricket as possible, eventually these cricketers will just say I'm done.
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"Stokes is done with one format aged 31, which can't be right, really. The schedule needs looking at, it is a bit of a joke at the moment," he added. Stokes' ODI career will forever be remembered for his Player-of-the-Match performance in the World Cup final against New Zealand at the Lord's three years ago.
His unbeaten 84 helped to send the match into a Super Over as England claimed their first 50-over World Cup title in the most thrilling of circumstances. "It came as a surprise, to be honest. It is a real shame because he gave us and England fans their greatest day for a very long time in 2019, a day we'll never forget with that World Cup final win.
"In a battle, if you ask me for one cricketer in the England side who's up for it in a tough situation, who's a winner - you can't teach that, you're not born with that - Stokes has that and he has that in abundance. "That World Cup final, if there's one cricketer you want at the end battling, it is Ben Stokes. The same with the Ashes Test match at Headingley that same summer."