England Test captain Ben Stokes in a sudden turn of events is set to come out of retirement in ODIs ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup. Stokes, who announced his retirement from ODIs last year citing unsustainability as an all-format player owing to grueling scheduling and his dodgy knee, is prepared to make a comeback and help England in their World Cup defence.
Stokes, who was a key member of Eoin Morgan's World Cup-winning side in 2019, played a match-winning knock of 84* in the final against New Zealand. As per a report in The Telegraph UK, Stokes is willing to make a comeback in the ODIs if captain Jos Buttler asks him to. Even though there are concerns around Stokes' knee, which has been troubling him for quite some time, the star all-rounder is ready to let go of IPL 2024 season for the champions Chennai Super Kings. The report further stated that England are ready to play Stokes as a specialist batter in the middle order amid fears of his bowling workload.
Stokes, who was picked by the Men in Yellow for INR 16.25 crore at the auction, played just two games for CSK in IPL 2023 and missed the remaining season due to injury and when he got fit, he couldn't find a place in the side. As per a PTI report, Stokes will undergo a long-delayed knee surgery following the Test series against India in March 2024 and hence will miss the IPL.
Last year, after playing his final ODI in Durham against South Africa, Stokes while announcing his retirement had said, "This has been an incredibly tough decision to make. I have loved every minute of playing with my mates for England. We have had an incredible journey on the way.
"As hard as a decision as this was to come to, it's not as hard dealing with the fact I can't give my teammates 100% of myself in this format anymore. The England shirt deserves nothing less from anyone who wears it."
But with a chance to replicate 2019's feat, both Stokes and England wouldn't want to miss the World Cup in India in less than two months' time. Before the World Cup, England will play a four-match ODI series against New Zealand and then a three-game series against Ireland, both at home.
