Days after his retirement, Ben Stokes marks a new chapter with an amazing century | Cricket news

Ben Stokes (image credit: X)

NEW DELHI: Just days after retiring from international cricket, Ben Stokes it showed that there was still plenty left in the tank. Playing his first game as a former England cricketer, Stokes scored an unbeaten 108 to lead Durham to a five-wicket victory over Derbyshire in the One Day Cup at Derby.The century came in Stokes’ first 50-over match for Durham in 12 years. Before the match-winning knock, he also bowled nine economical overs, finishing with figures of 0/38.

Stokes Battle Gr

Chasing 257, Durham were in trouble at 98/3 before Stokes anchored the innings with an unbeaten 108 off 123 balls. His knock included 10 fours and three sixes as Durham reached 257/5 in 49.1 overs, winning with five balls to spare.Despite struggling with cramps for most of his innings, Stokes stayed on to complete his century and take Durham home.Kasey Aldridge remained unbeaten on 23, while Will Rhodes scored 45 and Colin Ackermann 28.Earlier, Derbyshire scored 256/9 in 50 overs. Martin Andersson was the top scorer with 112, while Brooke Guest scored 48. Luke Robinson was Durham’s best bowler with 3/44.

Emotional parting

Days before his century, Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket after England’s third Test against New Zealand. Shortly after, he shared an emotional message on Xu, thanking everyone who had been a part of his journey.“It’s been a crazy 15 years. Everything has been thrown in, from the highest highs to the lowest lows (on and off the field). My time is up and nobody could have made that decision but me. But in the meantime, I just want to say that I love every single England fan and every single cricket fan who has supported me over the years,” Stokes wrote.He also thanked his teammates and everyone who supported him during his career.“I love every single person I’ve been on the pitch with representing England. I could go on and on but I hope you understand how much I’ve loved doing what I’ve done for 15 years. I’m looking forward to being a fan and supporting the team and the odd day in hospitality won’t go out of place. Family, friends, team-mates, fans… I love you all. Stokesy,” he added.Stokes finished his international career with 122 Tests, including 44 as captain, scoring more than 7,000 runs and taking over 200 wickets. He also represented England in 114 ODIs and 43 T20Is.