Nasser Hussain blames ‘joke’ schedule for Ben Stokes’ ODI retirement

Nasser Hussain has criticised cricket’s “joke” schedule after lamenting Ben Stokes’ shock retirement from one-day internationals.

Stokes, England’s Test captain, called time on the 50-over game at the age of 31 and just three years after playing a starring role in his country’s 2019 World Cup final success.

Since that historic moment, Stokes has played just nine more times in the 50-over format due to injuries, a mental health break and workload management – and his statement to retire from ODI cricket referenced an “unsustainable” schedule.

“The issue is not with the ECB, Rob Key or Ben Stokes,” former England captain Hussain told Sky Sports.

Stokes' ODI retirement - complete with very carefully worded criticism of England's schedule - has to be the tipping point.
The fixture list is complete bullsh*t and it's wrecking the players and the product. Enough.

I’ve said it before but it bears repeating. The problem isn’t that there’s too much international cricket. The problem is that too high a proportion of it is played by an ever decreasing number of teams.

Love how Ben Stokes, English cricket's biggest name, is so comfortable calling out administrators when something isn't right, like the schedule now. Never going to be a company man.

I remember Gayle saying prior to the England tour in 2009(?) when he arrived 2 days before the test series that test cricket is gonna struggle in the future.

People cussed him out like no tomorrow.