The decision to leave ODIs was “selfless” made by England’s Stokes: key
London: England Cricket's managing director Rob Key hailed Ben Stokes for his "selfless" decision to forgo the "financial repercussions" of quitting one-day internationals. After shockingly deciding to end his ODI career 24 hours ago, Stokes will play his 105th and last ODI at his home stadium in Durham against South Africa on Tuesday. Stokes was chosen as England's Test captain as Key's first move after his appointment, but Key is aware that the stringent fixture requirements for top international athletes make it challenging for them to participate in all formats of the game. Stokes' central contract's financial terms might be reviewed, but Key thinks the all-workload rounder's reduction will be extremely beneficial to England's Test and Twenty20 sides. He might have simply refused, saying, "No, no, I'm the key, keep picking me for the 50-over team. But he wants to carry England's Test team ahead and perform his Test job as well as he can. Although the timing definitely surprised me, I'm not shocked that he had to give up one format. I believe Ben made a wise choice that will ultimately benefit England.Key, who spoke to Stokes about his decision last Thursday, thinks the 31-year-old ...
