Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes ready to come out of retirement for England’s World Cup defence, England’s Test captain Ben Stokes announced his retirement from ODIs last year citing unsustainability as an all-format player owing to grueling scheduling and his dodgy knee but is now prepared to make a comeback ahead of the World Cup.
Ben Stokes, the captain of England’s Test team, is suddenly planning to play ODIs before the ICC Cricket World Cup. Stokes is ready to make a comeback and assist England in defending their World Cup after announcing his retirement from ODIs last year due to his unsustainable status as an all-format player due to a demanding schedule and his problematic knee.
The World Cup-winning team of Eoin Morgan in 2019 included Stokes, who contributed significantly. In the championship game against New Zealand, Stokes scored the game-winning 84*. ODI comebacks are possible for Stokes if captain Jos Buttler asks him to, according to a report in The Telegraph UK.
Ben Stokes knee, which has been bothering him for a while, is a concern, but the star all-rounder is willing to forego playing for the defending champion Chennai Super Kings in the IPL in 2024. According to the report, England is prepared to bat Stokes in the middle of the order as a specialist batter due to concerns about his bowling workload.
In IPL 2023, Stokes, who the Men in Yellow selected for INR 16.25 crore at the auction, appeared in just two games for CSK. He missed the rest of the season due to injury, and when he returned, he was unable to secure a spot in the team. According to a PTI report, Stokes will miss the IPL because of a long-delayed knee surgery that will take place after the Test series against India in March 2024.
When announcing his retirement from international cricket last year, Stokes had said, “This has been an incredibly tough decision to make. Playing for England with my friends has been an absolute joy for me. We have traveled a remarkable distance.
“As difficult a decision as this was to make, dealing with the fact that I can’t give my teammates my all in this format any longer is not as difficult. Nobody should give the England jersey anything less than their best effort. “.
But Stokes and England wouldn’t want to miss the World Cup in India in less than two months if they had the chance to repeat their success from 2019. Before the World Cup, England will play two home series: a three-game ODI series against Ireland and a four-game ODI series against New Zealand.