The England Test captain played his final one-day international at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday after announcing on Monday his decision that he could no longer commit to all three formats and had chosen to focus on the Twenty20s alongside playing red ball. “I just feel there is so much cricket that people can play all three formats now,” Stokes said ahead of the start of his final ODI. “It’s a lot harder than it used to be. The more cricket is played the better for the sport, but you want a product that is of the highest quality. “It’s not just me or us. You see it all over the world now where teams have to rest certain players in a certain series so they feel like they’re getting a break. We are not cars that you can fill up with gas and let us drive away. It has an effect on you, the game, the journey, it adds up.” In the space of a generation, the amount of cricket played by international teams has increased massively: in 2021 England played 41 matches, comprising 15 Tests, nine ODIs and 17 T20s. 30 years earlier in 1991 they had played 17 games, with nine Tests, eight ODIs and no T20s. Another 30 years ago, in 1961, England played 10 games, all Tests. Stokes said he decided to move away from the 50-over format earlier this month after the first match of the series against India concluded at Old Trafford on Sunday. “I always knew at some point I would have to choose one of the cue ball shapes to continue, I just didn’t know which one. After that game he punched me in the face,” he told Sky and the BBC. “I look at the way Jimmy [Anderson] and [Stuart] Broady’s career was lost when he stopped playing white-ball cricket. “I asked Stewart if he felt not playing white-ball cricket was a reason he’s still playing now, 156 Tests. He said without a doubt, yes. I want to play 140-150 Tests for England. It came much sooner than I would have liked at 31. Hopefully when I’m 35, 36 and still playing Test cricket I can look back on that decision and say I’m very happy with it.” The Spin: sign up and receive our weekly cricket email. Meanwhile, Mark Wood has revealed he will undergo further surgery on his elbow injury on Saturday in a last-ditch bid to be fit for the T20 World Cup in October. The fast bowler has not played a high-level match since pulling out of the West Indies Test tour in March, after which he underwent surgery to remove bone and scar tissue. A return for his hometown club Ashington at the weekend confirmed that further medical attention is required. “I’d better get it sorted now if I want to be fit for the T20 World Cup, which is the aim,” Wood said. “It’s so frustrating when I did everything I could, listened to all the experts, did what they said, it’s so frustrating not being able to get over that last hump. I’m a little sad and frustrated now, but what can I do? I gave it the best I could.”
