Ben Stokes, former England cricket player, and current Test captain, took to Twitter to express his opinion on the team’s recent poor performance in ODI cricket. Stokes retweeted a post asking “What is England’s biggest issue in ODI cricket?” following their loss to South Africa in the first ODI.
In his tweet, Stokes cited the congested cricket schedule as the root cause of the issue. He had previously retired from ODI cricket due to the demanding schedule, stating that “Three formats are just unsustainable for me now.” In his statement, Stokes explained that he felt his body was struggling to keep up with the demands of the schedule and that he did not want to take the place of another player who could give 100% of themselves.
Since 2022, England’s performance in ODI cricket has been poor, with only 5 wins out of 13 matches. This record puts them in a disappointing position, with a better win/loss ratio than only a handful of nations, including Ireland, Nepal, Zimbabwe, and the West Indies. In the recent match against South Africa, England fell short by 27 runs, despite strong performances from Jason Roy and Dawid Malan.
Stokes’ comments highlight the growing concerns about the impact of the busy cricket schedule on player health and performance. The demanding schedule may be taking a toll on the players’ physical and mental well-being, and it is important for cricket organizations to consider how to address this issue.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to Ben Stokes’s reasoning:
Well yes partly but it also begins with F and ends in E and has ranchis in it
— Annie Chave (@AnnieChave) January 27, 2023
Telling it like it is Ben! Can’t expect our best players to hardly ever play 50 over cricket, only occasionally be available for England and play 12 months a year and somehow still be word number 1.
— James (@investor_bod) January 27, 2023
Strongly disagree. England mgmt has balanced out its three teams for three different formats aptly. To complain about scheduling after a loss makes you look like a sore loser. Stop playing league cricket if you feel fatigued.
— Nick (@Nickkulk) January 27, 2023
You as players come out and complain about too much cricket. Yet you are all more than happy to travel the world in all the different franchises and then are happy to play international games
— Ben Rigden (@ben_rigden) January 27, 2023
Looks like this team need to visit a country which begins with P ends with N. It's a dream for visiting teams
— AB_Hi (@abhi_inthearc) January 28, 2023
You can’t really blame the schedule when half of them have been playing in either Dubai or SA all of Jan!
— Craig Byrne (@CraigByrne_92) January 27, 2023
Lord Schedul Thakur pic.twitter.com/F6mTD2msY8
— Don Boehly (@donboehlyera) January 28, 2023
Ben, I think Jurgen Klopp might have hacked your account…
— Evert (@Epfizert) January 28, 2023
Take rest from IPL Champ.
Country should be first priority ?— ARYAN_OP™ (@ARYAN__OP) January 28, 2023
CSK be like ? pic.twitter.com/1A0UcURPjn
— preet sidhu (@preetsi23193956) January 28, 2023
Don't make excuses!!
Australia and India has busier schedule than England I guess yet they hardly lost any match— Ano-R (@annoowr99) January 28, 2023
Yes when winning than best team in all formats but when losing can’t take responsibility
— Nipun (@NipunParikh18) January 27, 2023
