Kevin Pietersen expects more retirements following Ben Stokes decision

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Ben Stokes retired from one-day international cricket last month

Ben Stokes retired from one-day international cricket last month (Pictures: Getty)

Kevin Pietersen expects more high-profile retirements following Ben Stokes’ ‘understandable’ decision to stop playing one-day international cricket.

England all-rounder Stokes announced his retirement from ODIs last month, saying that continuing to play all three formats was ‘unsustainable’.

While Stokes will still play Twenty20 cricket and remains England’s Test captain, the decision came as a shock to the sport.

Stokes has made 104 ODI appearances since making his debut in the format in 2011 and starred in England’s World Cup triumph in 2019.

Pietersen was not surprised by Stokes’ call, however, and suspects more players will follow his example going forward.

‘I had great sympathy with Ben Stokes because I know how it feels to have that mental fatigue which means you can’t handle so much cricket anymore,’ Pietersen told Betway.

‘For Stokes, it’s the mental fatigue of being such an important player in all formats for so long. He needed a break and, with the calendar the way it is, you have to retire to get one.

‘He wants to be able to park cricket and spend time with his family every so often. Test match cricket is still the pinnacle, particularly for him, so I understand why he’s retired from ODIs.

‘With the schedule the way it is, we are going to see more and more of these stories. Quinton De Kock, a star of the game, has already retired from Test cricket, remember.

‘India flew straight to West Indies after touring England and are off to Zimbabwe next. Lots of their guys looked like they needed a break months ago. Some are rested from the Zimbabwe tour, but it’s still a lot of cricket.

‘The reality is that players want to save themselves for the biggest occasions and for the most lucrative opportunities. Bilateral series are increasingly not that.’

Pietersen says the sport’s ‘crazy schedule’ is becoming an ‘issue’ for players who may decide to turn their back on international cricket in order to focus on franchise tournaments around the world.

As a result, Pietersen fears for the future of Test cricket and says the red-ball format may be restricted to the ‘major nations’ by 2025.

‘You could see players break away from international cricket completely in order to earn much more money to play in two or three events during the year,’ the former England captain added.

‘The top players are being worked into the ground at the moment. If an opportunity comes along that offers them long-term security they’ll take it. It’s human nature.

‘Unfortunately that means that the traditional cricketing structure, with Test matches as the pinnacle, is under threat.

Pietersen fears for the future of Test cricket

England legend Pietersen fears for the future of Test cricket (Picture: Getty)

‘I’ve said previously that I think by 2025, only the major nations will ever play Test cricket. I know they hate me saying it, but any Test series involving New Zealand or West Indies or any other nation outside the very biggest could fall by the wayside.

‘I can see a scenario where by 2025 the only Test cricket is the Ashes, England v India, Australia v India, India v Pakistan and other landmark series, unless they start paying Test match cricketers crazy money.

‘Bilateral white-ball series are in trouble, too. It feels like nobody has really noticed England’s games against India and South Africa this summer, and the Proteas have pulled out of a tour to Australia next year to prioritise their new T20 competition.

‘It makes me very sad because internationals, particularly Tests, are still the purest form of the game. But we have to accept that as time goes on, the power of franchise cricket is going to turn more and more heads.’


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