Ben Stokes receives standing ovation from Durham crowd as he bids adieu to ODI cricket

Ben Stokes, one of the finest all-rounders that England has seen over the years, played his final One-day International match on Tuesday in Durham against South Africa and put curtains on his 11-year-long ODI career. Revealing that playing across the three formats was ‘unsustainable’ for him, the 31-year-old decided to limit his efforts.

South Africa put England to bowl first after winning the toss, and thus, Stokes walked ahead of skipper Jos Buttler to start off his final innings. The game against the Proteas did not land in England’s favour as they ended up losing the fixture by 62 runs and the visitors took a 1-0 lead in the series.

Stokes was dismissed for an 11-ball five runs in his final game as England faced a batting collapse while chasing 334 runs to win the opening game. Stokes’ early dismissal was heartbreaking, but the all-rounder walked off the field, for one last time in the format, with his head high. The southpaw received a round of loud applause and a standing ovation from everyone in the stands.

England Cricket shared a video of his final walk, from the ground to the dressing room, and the commentators are heard saying on the mic: “A massive moment in the context of English cricket. For the last time, we will see Ben Stokes in a One-Day International. He will always be remembered for the fantastic innings he played in the World Cup (2019) final. And he departs to the rapturous applause of his local crowd. Huge amount of appreciation for Ben Stokes at his home ground, playing in his last ever ODI.”

An inspiration. A legend. A champion.

Thank you for everything, @benstokes38 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/OD1gc5OnxD

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 19, 2022

2019 World Cup remains to be one of the highlights of Ben Stokes’ ODI career

With the final game against the Proteas, Stokes finished his ODI career with 2924 runs from 105 games, of which his unbeaten 84 against New Zealand in the ultimate clash at the 2019 World Cup remains to be a highlight of his career. The all-rounder was named the Player of the Match as England lifted the coveted cup after winning the dramatic thriller at the Lord’s.