England are prepared to play Ben Stokes as a batsman only when they defend their 50-over men’s ICC World Cup title in India after the Test captain reversed his decision to retire from one-day internationals.
The all-rounder, troubled by a longstanding knee injury that restricted his bowling during the drawn Ashes Test series at home to Australia, said playing in all three international formats was “unsustainable” when calling time on his one-day career 13 months ago.
The 32-year-old had planned to use a six-month gap until England next play Test cricket, away to India, to attend to his chronic problem, but he is now set for a role as a specialist batsman as one of nine survivors named in a 15-man squad to face New Zealand in three home one-day internationals next month that is also set to double as England’s warm-up for a World Cup in India that runs from Oct. 5 to Nov. 19.
Photo: Reuters
“It wasn’t really a case of changing his [Stokes’] mind,” England national selector Luke Wright said after the squad was unveiled on Wednesday. “Once his body was in a good place and he’d had a rest, he was really keen to play. He still has time to do his rest and rehab, which he’s doing, and he says his knee does feel like it’s improving.”
“The one thing we won’t be doing is pushing him to bowl unless he’s absolutely fit and raring to go. That was a big part of the decision for him, being able to just play as a batter and that was an easy decision for us,” Wright said. “Ultimately the decision came down to it’s a World Cup we want to win and we feel like we are better, and have more chance, with Stokesy than we haven’t. If ever there’s someone for the big moments it’s Ben Stokes.”
The return of Stokes, the player of the match in the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord’s in London and the man whose unbeaten half-century led his side to victory in the Twenty20 equivalent last year, comes at the expense of Harry Brook.
The Yorkshire batsman has been the rising star of the England setup during the past year, with the 24-year-old having compiled four centuries in 12 Tests, while boasting strike rates of 98.85 and 137.77 in one-day internationals and T20s respectively.
“It’s as hard a decision as you’re ever going to get,” said Wright, who labeled Brook a “superstar” before adding: “But unfortunately in a 15-man squad, someone’s going to have to miss out. On this occasion it’s been him.”
Uncapped Surrey fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who has been clocked at 153kph, is also in the squad, seemingly as cover for Jofra Archer.
The injured Archer, the Super Over star of the 2019 World Cup final, is recovering from his latest elbow injury.
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