England pacer Mark Wood has stated that he's 'sad' but not 'shocked' with Ben Stokes' decision to call it quits from One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
On Monday, Stokes, 31, shocked the cricketing world when he announced that the 1st ODI against South Africa in Durham will be his last in 50-over cricket.
In his statement, Stokes wrote that given the current scheduling, he cannot possibly commit to all three formats simultaneously and would instead invest all his energy while playing Tests and T20Is.
Reacting to Stokes' decision ahead of the 1st ODI against the Proteas, Wood said that while he is sad, he understands the marquee all-rounder's decision as it is inconceivable at this point to commit to everything.
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"It honestly has. I was a bit sad to be honest more than anything. I won't say "shocked" because with the schedule, the way it is, you just can't do everything. I was shocked because I spoke to him in the morning because he didn't tell me, he told me later on. I'm just sad," Wood told Sky Sports.
Stokes will always be remembered for his match-winning performance in the 2019 ODI World Cup final, where he scored an unbeaten 84 against New Zealand to enforce a Super Over, which England won via boundary count.
‘In the dressing room, he looks after people’- Wood on Stokes
Stokes has scored close to 3000 ODI runs besides taking 74 wickets.
But, according to Wood, more than Stokes' numbers, it's his presence in the dressing room and his leadership persona that England will miss the most.
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"People in that dressing room still look up to Stokesy. He cares about everyone in that dressing room. He makes sure everyone is alright, puts an arm around them. You may not see it on the field, but definitely, in the dressing room, he looks after people. He is a big miss from that point of view. He is a leader, a natural leader. He will be a big miss not just from stats point-of-view but from who he is in the dressing room," he said.
Meanwhile, South Africa are going along nicely in the ongoing Durham ODI. At the time of writing, South Africa posted 333 in their inning, losing five wickets in the process. Stokes will look to play a match-winning knock and bow out on a high.