"It might well be that the Indian T20 league is a beneficiary here" - Scott Styris on Ben Stokes' retirement from ODI cricket
Scott Styris reckons Ben Stokes' retirement from ODI cricket could be beneficial for the IPL (Indian Premier League) as the England all-rounder might be back to plying his trade in the prestigious tournament.
Stokes opted to give up the 50-over format of the game after Tuesday's (July 19) first ODI against South Africa. The seam-bowling all-rounder scored five runs off 11 deliveries and failed to pick up a wicket in his final ODI.
During an interaction on Sports 18, Styris was asked if the alarm bells are ringing for ODI cricket with Stokes' retirement from the format. He responded:
"Do I think the format is in a bit of trouble? No, I don't, a year out from the World Cup, we remember how big a tournament it was in 2019. Let's always look at the positives, I think it might well be that the Indian T20 league is a beneficiary here and we get back to Ben Stokes being in the tournament."
Styris added that Stokes would have considered all his options before making the call. The former New Zealand all-rounder elaborated:
"It is a blow, no doubt it, if the Man of the Match from the last final isn't there for the next tournament. But it's just that something has to give in today's game. There is an enjoyment factor for the players, what am I best at factor as well and for someone like Ben Stokes, I am sure he would have weighed all of that up."
An inspiration. A legend. A champion.
Thank you for everything, @benstokes38 ❤️ https://t.co/OD1gc5OnxD
Stokes was the Player of the Match in the 2019 ODI World Cup final. His unbeaten 84-run knock helped England tie the game against New Zealand and they went to win the title on boundary count when the two teams were at par even after the Super Over.
"If you are going to step away from a format, it's going to be this format" - Rohan Gavaskar on Ben Stokes' ODI retirement
Rohan Gavaskar believes players are likely to give up ODIs if they want to retire from a format. He reasoned:
"If you are going to step away from a format, it's going to be this format, because T20 is a lot of entertainment, it's also where all the money is. So you are not going to step away from the T20 format as a player and rightly so, because at the end of the day, it's still a career, it's still a job."
Gavaskar pointed out that accomplished Test players are unlikely to call it a day in the longest version of the game. The former Indian all-rounder explained:
"If you are a good enough Test cricketer, you are not going to step away from Test cricket, simply because Test cricket is what you are judged on. When you talk about the Fab five batters of this generation - Babar, Virat, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Steve Smith - it's based on their Test performances, no one brings about T20 or ODI specialists."
Ben Stokes. One of a kind https://t.co/kazXcrTqEK
Ben Stokes, who has enjoyed great success in his first four games as England's Test skipper, had opted out of IPL 2022. He will certainly be one of the big-ticket buys if he makes himself available ahead of next season's auction.