England’s star all-rounder Ben Stokes has announced his retirement from ODI cricket. After this, former veteran cricketer Kevin Pietersen has targeted the England and Wales Cricket Board. The right-handed ex has said that he had retired from ODI cricket for the same reason as Stokes and was subsequently banned from T20 cricket. The case pertains to June 2012. Pietersen had taken retirement due to a busy schedule.
Pietersen temporarily rejoined England’s ODI and T20 squads the following year, but his reasoning was clear. He said that he was mentally and physically exhausted due to the busy schedule. Stokes has also taken the decision for the same reason. Giving information about his decision, he said, “It is getting difficult for me to play in three formats. I feel that my body is not supporting me due to the busy schedule. I also feel that I am replacing a player who can contribute to Jose and the rest of the team. It’s time to move on and make memories as someone else’s cricketer, as I have done in the last 11 years.”
What Kevin Pietersen said
Let us tell you that Stokes will continue to play Test and T20. Kevin Pietersen then took a jibe at the ECB by tweeting, “I once said that the program was too wasteful and I couldn’t cope with it. So I retired from ODI cricket and ECB banned me from T20 as well.”
Career ended early due to controversy
The right-handed star batsman did well for England but his career ended prematurely due to disputes with the ECB. He scored 8181 runs in 181 innings of 104 Test matches at an average of 47.28. At the same time, in 136 ODIs, he scored 4440 runs at an average of 40.73. Apart from this, scored 1176 runs in 37 T20s at an average of 37.93. He was also the captain of England.