- “I’m putting a lot of effort into improving my bowling fitness.”
- On June 4, England will begin their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup defence.
Ben Stokes’ decision to drop out of the team in order to concentrate on staying healthy to bat and bowl during a demanding Test season has dealt a serious blow to England’s hopes of winning the men’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean this summer.
England’s white-ball coach, Matthew Mott, had hoped and planned for Stokes to be named for the T20 World Cup as an all-rounder when he bowled in the final Test in India last month. However, Stokes has determined that other things should take precedence over cricket as captain of the Test squad, particularly with two three-match Test series against Sri Lanka and the West Indies to play this summer.
Though the statement announcing his decision notably contained assurances that he remains committed to the shorter formats, Stokes decided to further delay a return to white-ball cricket after withdrawing from the current Indian Premier League last November, partially with an eye towards the T20 World Cup.
He declared, “I’m putting a lot of effort into getting my bowling fitness back up so I can play a full role as an all-rounder in all forms of cricket.” “I hope that skipping the World Cup and the IPL will be a sacrifice that will enable me to play all-around for the foreseeable future.”
Over the past two years, Stokes has experienced severe movement limitations and a complete cessation of his bowling career due to a chronic injury to his left knee, suspected to be patellar tendinitis. He established himself as possibly the best all-rounder in the world between the end of June 2013 and the end of June 2023, bowling in 211 of the 228 completed international matches in which he participated. However, in his 17 subsequent international appearances, he has only been able to bowl once. He played as a specialist batter for the final four Ashes Tests of last summer, the first four against India, and the 50-over World Cup that stood in between them.
After having knee surgery and going nine months without bowling, Stokes stated, “the recent Test tour of India highlighted how far behind I was from a bowling point of view.” “I’m excited to represent Durham in the County Championship prior to the commencement of our Test summer.” I’m wishing the squad, Motty, and England’s white-ball captain Jos [Buttler] the best of luck as they defend the title.
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool, Callum Wilson of Newcastle, and John Terry of Chelsea are among the former patients of surgeon Dr. Andy Williams, who operated on Stokes’s knee in November of last year. After the surgery, the 32-year-old was informed that he would not be able to bowl for 12 to 13 weeks; yet, ten days later, he was back in the nets with a ball. In February, he declared, “I feel very good about my knee.” “I put forth a lot of effort to get to where I am now. Unquestionably ahead of schedule.
Stokes has experienced enough setbacks to know that he should approach his recuperation gently, even though there haven’t been any new ones since then. When England won the World Cup in Australia in 2022, Stokes averaged 36.66 at the bat, including a game-winning century in the final, and bowled in all six games. His decision will give Mott a lot of headaches when it comes to his World Cup plans.
“Having a seam bowler in that top six gives you so many options with your team balance, aside from his incredible match-winning ability in every department,” the Australian stated in December. It greatly simplifies the process of selection. Someone like that is rare and desired by every team in the world.