Last week, Ben Stokes made an unexpected announcement – he was retiring from the one-day format in international cricket. The English all-rounder and test captain’s decision has many reading between the lines, looking for broader hints.
The jury is still out as to whether Stokes’s decision to move away from the one-day scene is a symptom of the larger crisis staring at the format. For reasons that many believe aren’t surprising, Stokes has chosen to maintain a two-dimensional focus: on test cricket and T20. In the process, this decision has only reinforced the growing scepticism on the place of the one-day format – with 50 overs a side – in world cricket.
