Ben Stokes retired from ODI cricket having had a very successful career where not only did he win a World Cup with England, he played a massive role individually in England’s triumph in the final of the World Cup.
Today, the official Twitter handle of England Cricket uploaded a video where Joe Root, a long-time teammate of Ben Stokes, can be seen delivering an emotional speech for Stokes in the dressing room and paying tribute to his incredible ODI career.
Joe Root, at the beginning of his speech, said whatever he would say about Stokes wouldn’t justify his career because what he has done for England cricket is beyond words, but the way Stokes played his cricket, it didn’t just bring success to England cricket team, his achievements “captured a nation”.
According to Root, the kind of performances Stokes put on in the biggest of the games, whether it’s the World Cup final or the longest format of the game and whether it’s with bat or ball, his performances brought people to stadiums to watch the show that he put on.
Joe Root insisted that Stokes has achieved a lot of success for himself and his team, but he has also inspired kids and it’s because of him that a lot of kids in England today want to bat and bowl the way Stokes did.
“It has been one hell of a journey with you,” Joe Root told Ben Stokes
Root said that it was one “hell of a journey” for him personally and for this England team with Stokes for many years and the team is extremely proud of him and his contributions.
At the end of his speech, Root, on behalf of the England team, presented a champagne bottle to Stokes calling it a small token of appreciation for all his efforts in an England ODI shirt.
"Kids now want to bat, bowl and field because of the way you have gone about it and done it in an England shirt."@root66 with some lovely words after @benstokes38 played his final ODI ❤️ pic.twitter.com/mcGrmPyN18
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 22, 2022
Ben Stokes ended his ODI career as a World Cup winner, having played a total of 105 ODI matches and having scored close to 3000 runs, along with a wicket tally of 74.
