Can you imagine Ben Stokes as a Kiwi cricketer? Well, it almost happened, and we might have never got to see Ben Stokes play for the England cricket team.
Ross Taylor, in his new book, Ross Taylor: Black & White mentions that he asked Stokes if he wanted to play for New Zealand in 2010, and upon Stokes showing interest in the offer, he took the case to New Zealand Cricket's CEO Justin Vaughan.
"He was 18 or 19 and very much a Kiwi. Over a Guinness, I asked him if he wanted to come and play in New Zealand. He was keen so I sent a message to New Zealand Cricket CEO Justin Vaughan saying this guy Stokes was a really good young cricketer and interested in playing for New Zealand," wrote Taylor.
Taylor further wrote that Vaughan, on the other hand, wanted Stokes to start from the domestic level.
“Vaughan replied along the lines that he could start playing domestic cricket and we’d see where it went. I went back saying we’d have to offer him more than that because he wouldn’t be interested if it meant starting on the bottom rung of the ladder. Obviously, it didn’t come to anything."
Taylor added that Ben was sincere about playing for New Zealand but Vaughan wasn't ready to give him solid assurances.
"Ben was sincere about playing for New Zealand, but NZC would’ve had to have acted swiftly and decisively and given him some pretty solid assurances, which Vaughan clearly wasn’t prepared to do.’’
Ben Stokes recently announced his retirement from ODI cricket, stating that his body could no longer handle the pressure of playing three different formats. He further added that by the virtue of this decision, he would now be able to concentrate on T20s and Tests.
