Kevin Pietersen takes a dig at English Cricket Board after Ben Stokes retires from ODI cricket

England's star all-rounder Ben Stokes played his last ODI match on Tuesday against South Africa. Earlier, he had announced on his social media handles, citing that playing in three formats in a tight-packed schedule was difficult. The 31-year-old will now continue to play Twenty20 international cricket and serve as captain of the English team.

"Three formats are just unsustainable for me now. Not only do I feel that my body is letting me down because of the schedule and what is expected of us, but I also feel that I am taking the place of another player who can give Jos and the rest of the team their all. It's time for someone else to progress as a cricketer and make incredible memories like I have over the past 11 years," Stokes' post clearly said.

His remarks have sparked a discussion over how much cricket is now being played. Kevin Pietersen, a former England cricket captain, criticised the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in a tweet on the subject. "I once said the schedule was horrendous and I couldn't cope, so I retired from ODI cricket & the ECB banned me from T20s too............" he wrote.

Here is Kevin Pietersen's tweet

I once said the schedule was horrendous and I couldn’t cope, so I retired from ODI cricket & the ECB banned me from T20s too………….🤣

— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) July 19, 2022

The ECB and Pietersen had a complicated relationship. Despite being a great batter, he frequently clashed with the cricket governing body. Pietersen represented England in 104 Tests, 136 ODIs, and 37 T20 Internationals. In the three formats, he amassed 8181, 4440, and 1176 runs, respectively.

Michael Vaughan also expressed his disappointment with the tight-packed schedule forcing players to take early retirement. He stated that if the boards want to continue holding their franchise competitions, bilateral ODI and T20I cricket should be halted.

"Bilateral ODI / T20 series will have to go if all the boards around the world are desperate for their own Franchise tournaments !! Something has to give .. It shouldn't be players retiring from one format aged 31 !!!!" said Vaughan in a tweet on Monday.