Ben Stokes Highlights England’s Biggest Issue In ODIs After Loss vs South Africa

On Saturday, January 28, England National Cricket Team Test captain Ben Stokes took to Twitter to highlight England’s biggest issue in One Day International (ODI) cricket at the moment after the defeat of the side against South Africa in the ODI series-opening clash.

The 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup champions England have been struggling in 50-over cricket in recent times. The Jos Buttler and Co. have lost 7 of their last 9 ODIs.

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In the first ODI of the three-match series against the Proteas at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, England managed to restrict South Africa to 298/7. While chasing the target, Jason Roy showcased a batting masterclass and smashed a terrific century. His opening partner Dawid Malan also smashed a good half-century. Overall, the openers had a 146-run partnership in just 118 balls.

Then, came a tough time for England as the visitors suffered a catastrophic batting collapse and got bundled out for 271 to face a 27-run defeat in the match.

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Meanwhile, Ben Stokes, who played a key role in England’s 2019 and 2022 World Cup triumphs, took to Twitter to defend his team. Stokes, who retired from ODIs last year, blamed the jam-packed schedule of international cricket for England’s downfall.

After a tweet by Wisden Cricket questioned why England were struggling in the ODIs in recent times, Stokes replied: “Begins with S ends with E and has chedul in there as well.”

Here’s Ben Stokes’ Tweet:

Begins with S ends with E and has chedul in there as well https://t.co/U2aF9FOSDw

— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) January 27, 2023

Jos Buttler Disappointed After Defeat To South Africa

At the post-match interaction, English white-ball skipper Jos Buttler expressed his disappointment over the loss against the Proteas. He said that his side played excellent cricket for most of the game, but were unable to finish things off.

Jos Buttler further said that they need to resort back to the positive style of batting that has served England so well in recent years.

“Disappointed. We played some excellent cricket for the majority of the game. Pretty happy at halfway, a very good wicket for batting, to restrict them to 298, very happy. To have that conviction and commitment to keep taking it on has served us well for a long time. We didn’t commit enough to that, SA came back well and took wickets. The pitch got more difficult, was at its best against the new ball. We are disappointed we didn’t go on to win.”

Also Read: SA vs ENG: “I Was A Bit Overcome With A Few Emotions And Stuff Like That” – Jason Roy After His Terrific Ton vs South Africa

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