England’s star player Ben Stokes has pulled out of the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup which will help him to focus on regaining his fitness to become the ‘all-rounder’
| Photo Credit: R.V Moorthy

England’s star player Ben Stokes on April 2 pulled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup, saying the “sacrifice” will help him focus on regaining his fitness to bowl full throttle and be the “all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future”.

The country’s Test captain has informed the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) about his decision, two months ahead of the showpiece that will be held in the USA and West Indies.

“I’m working hard and focusing on building my bowling fitness back up to fulfil a full role as an all-rounder in all formats of cricket.

“Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future,” Stokes said in a statement issued by the ECB.

Stokes, 32, was in-charge of the the team that suffered a 1-4 Test series loss to India earlier this year and said the tour made him realise that he isn’t quite up for it when it comes to bowling.

“The recent Test tour of India highlighted how far behind I was from a bowling point of view after my knee surgery and nine months without bowling.

“I’m looking forward to playing for Durham in the County Championship before the start of our Test summer. I wish Jos (Buttler), Motty (Matthew Mott) and all the team the best of luck in defending our title.” England will be defending the title in the Caribbean having triumphed in the last edition of the tournament in Australia in 2022, with Stokes hitting the winning run in the final for a five-wicket victory over Pakistan at the MCG.

However, he has only played two T20 matches since, both at last year’s IPL.

Having previously retired from ODI cricket in 2022, Stokes reversed his decision in order to play in the 50-over World Cup last year in India, following which he underwent a knee surgery that did not allow him to bowl in the Test series against India.

He was only able to bowl five overs during the five matches in India.

Captain Rohit Sharma shakes hands with English counterpart Ben Stokes after winning the fifth Test Match in Dharamsala.
| Photo Credit: Gareth Copley

Former England spinner Graeme Swann doesn’t believe Rohit Sharma’s captaincy was better than Ben Stokes’ in the five-match Test series. Rather, it was a lethal set of bowlers that “did the trick” for the India skipper.

While Stokes’ leadership style has attracted all the attention prior to and during the series, Rohit’s team emerged 4-1 winners in the end.

“I don’t think he has been superior as a captain because his bowlers have done the trick for him. I think he’s got more weapons at his armoury,” Swann told PTI Videos in an exclusive chat after India inflicted an innings and 64-run defeat on England in the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala on March 9.

“He’s been good don’t get me wrong, Rohit Sharma, but, I don’t think if you pick this apart and say Stokes has captained badly, I think you are barking up the wrong tree there.

“Rohit Sharma’s bowlers have really come to town for him, come to the party for him, in the last four Test matches, they didn’t in the first one but they have done for the last four,” Swann noted.

No blaming Bazball

Far from blaming ‘Bazball’ for England’s loss, Swann said Stokes and Co actually failed to play the brand of cricket that has brought them success in recent times.

Swann’s observation is in stark contrast to the views expressed by few other former players who attributed the drubbing to the visitors’ fixation with Bazball.

“I don’t think we have seen Bazball in this trip whatsoever, we saw it for one innings of this Test series, that’s when Ollie Pope got a 190, and that was the definition of bazball,” he said.

“I think England, where they have fallen flat in this series is, they have not been brave enough. I don’t think they have played what you guys in the media call Bazball.

“I think if they had, I think this series would have been closer if I am honest.” Bazball, which is derived from England Test coach Brendon McCullum’s nickname Baz, fell flat as the tourists capitulated inside three days in the fifth Test, helping India secure their 17th straight Test series triumph on home soil.

On the match getting over in under three days, Swann said: “I would say it’s a very good advertisement for Test cricket, because it was an exciting match.

“India were just too good for England in this game. It’s always at the end of a series if it’s already been won by one team, you worry that this will happen, the resistance will be completely blown away and it was in this Test match.

“So England will have to go home and shake themselves off wondering where it went so badly wrong. India are world class especially their bowling attack, and that was really shown again in this Test match.” As a former off-spinner himself, Swann applauded Ravichandran Ashwin’s stupendous performance on his 100 Test match.

“You know what it’s brilliant, to get a fifer on his hundredth Test match. I have not actually seen him, I was looking to go and congratulate him myself but I will have to do that at the hotel later.

“Bowling so well and making those early inroads, that was brilliant, possibly one of his best fifers in his 100 Test matches, so you have got to take your hat off to Ashwin,” he observed.

On James Anderson becoming the first fast bowler to reach 700 wickets, Swann said: “He’s a joke, Jimmy is an absolute joke, how he has kept going for all this amount of time.

“When I say it’s a joke I mean that in a good way, he’s been incredible, and to get 700 wickets, well you know it’s almost nonsensical the achievement and I love him to bits.

“I was kind of hoping when he almost bounced Kuldeep out, almost hit his gloves and bobbled in the air, that would have been the dream for Jimmy, because he has not bowled a decent bouncer for 10 years, but he has now.”

When spin claims all 11 wickets on the opening day of a Test, it is not surprising to find the preparedness of the pitch under scrutiny. But the contrasting ways in which the two teams dealt with spin, soon put a lid on the simmering discussion.

After England opted to bat, Kuldeep Yadav and R. Ashwin took turns to claim nine wickets and Ravindra Jadeja made his presence felt by taking out Joe Root as England tumbled from 175 for three to 218.

The gains provided the spinners stood further enhanced after India raced to 135 for one at stumps. Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal posted their first century stand of the season in under 21 overs.

Soon after reaching his half century, Jaiswal gifted his wicket to Shoaib Bashir, the man whom he hoisted for three sixes in an over. All three Indian batters on view did not hold back their strokes. Rohit and Shubman Gill, too, hit two sixes each.The Indian innings has produced 13 boundaries and seven sixes in 30 overs and quickly moved within 83 runs of England’s tally.

The batters did provide a ‘feel-good’ feeling in home dressing room at the end of a full day’s play. But the hero of the day was Kuldeep, who made a spectacular return to the venue where he made his debut with four for 68 against Australia in March 2017.

After Ashwin was introduced in the 15th over and Kuldeep in the 18th, the left-arm wrist-spinner got his act right off the sixth ball. Welcomed with boundaries by Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, Kuldeep came back almost immediately by mixing drift and turn.

Duckett went after a googly from Kuldeep but his miscued shot ended up in a brilliant running catch by Gill, who ran back to dive in time to take it. Ollie Pope stepped out but misread the spin to be stumped at the stroke of lunch.

In the second session, England was cruising along and reached 137 when Crawley, after producing his best of 79 in this series, became Kuldeep’s third victim. The ball turned and crashed into Crawley’s stumps as the batter shaped to play defensively.

Though Root continued his form from Ranchi, Jonny Bairstow looked keen to enjoy his 100th Test outing. But his 18-ball 29, during which he reached 6000 Test runs, ended with Jurel producing a reflex catch off a faint edge. Root was trapped leg-before by Jadeja and danger-man Ben Stokes surprisingly chose a backfoot on-drive to become Kuldeep’s fifth scalp.

After three wickets fell in the space of 13 dot balls, England looked at Ben Foakes to rebuild with the tailenders but did not reckon with Ashwin’s strike-power.

The off-spinner removed Tom Hartley and Mark Wood in one over before tea, returned to pack off Foakes and James Anderson in what turned out to be the last over of the innings.

Scoreboard

ENGLAND — 1ST INNINGS: Zak Crawley b Kuldeep 79 (108b, 11×4, 1×6), Ben Duckett c Gill b Kuldeep 27 (58b, 4×4), Ollie Pope st. Jurel b Kuldeep 11 (24b), Joe Root lbw b Jadeja 26 (56b, 4×4), Jonny Bairstow c Jurel b Kuldeep 29 (18b, 2×4, 2×6), Ben Stokes lbw b Kuldeep 0 (6b), Ben Foakes b Ashwin 24 (42b, 3×4), Tom Hartley c Padikkal b Ashwin 6 (9b, 1×4), Mark Wood c Rohit b Ashwin 0 (2b), Shoaib Bashir (not out) 11 (22b, 2×4), James Anderson c Padikkal b Ashwin 0 (3b); Extras (b-2, lb-1, nb-2): 5.

Total (in 57.4 overs): 218.

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-64 (Duckett, 17.6 overs), 2-100 (Pope, 25.3), 3-137 (Crawley, 37.2), 4-175 (Bairstow, 43.4), 5-175 (Root, 44.2), 6-175 (Stokes, 45.4), 7-183 (Hartley, 49.2), 8-183 (Wood, 49.4), 9-218 (Foakes, 57.1).

INDIA BOWLING: Bumrah 13-2-51-0, Siraj 8-1-24-0, Ashwin 11.4-1-51-4, Kuldeep 15-1-72-5, Jadeja 10-2-17-1.

INDIA — 1ST INNINGS: Yashasvi Jaiswal st. Foakes b Bashir 57 (58b, 5×4, 3×6), Rohit Sharma (batting) 52 (83b, 6×4, 2×6), Shubman Gill (batting) 26 (39b, 2×4, 2×6)

Total (for one wkt. in 30 overs): 135.

FALL OF WICKET: 1-104 (Jaiswal, 20.4).

ENGLAND BOWLING: Anderson 4-1-4-0, Wood 3-0-21-0, Hartley 12-0-46-0, Bashir 11-2-64-1.

Toss: England.

England’s Ben Stokes uses an inhaler during a practice session on the eve of their 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match against Sri Lanka at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on October 25, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AFP

England cricketers have resorted to sporadic use of inhalers to deal with high pollution levels in major Indian cities over the course of their dismal World Cup campaign.

British newspaper ‘I’ reported that the some of the England cricketers were forced to take inhalers, usually used by people suffering from Asthma.

Test captain Ben Stokes was seen using the inhalers during training ahead of the game against Sri Lanka in Bangalore.

Delhi breached the AQI (Air Quality Index) mark of 400 on November 2 to enter the ‘Severe’ category. The pollution has caused a major concern in Mumbai as well with India skipper Rohit Sharma touching on the subject ahead of the Sri Lanka game on November 2.

“I mean, in an ideal world, you don’t want a situation like this, but I’m pretty sure the concerned people are taking the necessary steps. It’s not ideal, everyone knows that. But, looking at our future generations – your kids, my kids – obviously, they must get to live without any fear.” “So, yeah, every time I get to speak outside of cricket, if we are not discussing cricket, I always talk about this. You know we have to look after our future generations,” said Rohit on Wednesday.

England are currently in Ahmedabad for their game against arch-rivals Australia but the British paper reported the players are unlikely to use inhalers due to acceptable air quality in the city.

England batter Joe Root was asked about air pollution in Mumbai following the heavy loss to South Africa last month but he did not say it was a factor in the team’s defeat. “It just felt like you couldn’t get your breath. It was unique,” he said.

“Who knows whether it was air quality? I am not qualified to know. It felt like quite a hazy day, wasn’t it? And you could see that from one side of the ground looking back towards the sun, it was a lot harder visually than it was on the other side of the ground.

“Whether it was air quality or what, it was definitely an experience I’ve not had before,” Root said.

The Bombay High Court on October 31 expressed concern over the “deteriorating” air quality index in Mumbai while taking suo motu cognisance of the issue.

The situation is worse in Delhi where Sri Lanka will take on Bangladesh on November 6.

In 2017, the Sri Lankan players were forced to wear masks while on the field in New Delhi during the third match of the Test series. As per a Lancet Study, pollution caused more than 2.3 million deaths in India in 2019.

England’s Joe Root (left) and teammate Harry Brook. File
| Photo Credit: Ap

Seven players, including Harry Brook, were among 29 England cricketers who were awarded central contracts by the ECB for the first time, while premier all-rounder and Test captain Ben Stokes was given a one-year contract on Tuesday.

The deal pre-dated from October 1 this year also includes a first-of-its-kind multi-year contracts, which were offered to 18 players including Brook, Joe Root and recuperating pacer Jofra Archer.

Apart from Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue received the contract for the first time.

Pacer Carse on Monday was named as a replacement for injured Reece Topley in England’s squad for the on-going World Cup.

Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, Rob Key, said: “We are rewarding those players who we expect to make a significant impact over the coming years playing for England.

They will play a pivotal role in England’s efforts over the next few years.”

England’s new multi-year central contracts:

Three-year contract: Joe Root, Mark Wood, Harry Brook.

Two-year contract: Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jonathan Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.

One-year contract: Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Robinson, Reece Topley.

Developmental contract: Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood, John Turner.

England’s Ben Stokes during practice.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Ben Stokes declared himself ready Thursday to play in England’s crucial Cricket World Cup match against South Africa after missing the first three games because of injury.

Stokes, the match-winner in the 2019 final, has been struggling with a hip problem sustained a week before the World Cup and missed the losses to New Zealand and Afghanistan, which came either side of a win over Bangladesh.

England next faces the Proteas on Saturday with its title defense on the rocks.

“It was a frustrating little niggle to get before the tournament,” the test captain told the BBC before a training session at the Wankhede Stadium, “but I have worked very hard to get back to where I am and I am making myself ready to be available for selection.

“We have had a few days off since the last game and the first training session here in Mumbai. I’ll give it a good push but, yes, I think everything is pretty good. I am in a good place.”

England will hope Stokes’ return will resuscitate the team’s chances in India and he is relishing the pressure.

“I deal with it pretty easy to be honest, because I know I am one person in a team sport,” he said. “No one looks to one person in this team to inspire them or anything like that. It is not the case that if I do come in then all of a sudden we are going to do well.

“It is just one of those things that gets spoken about a lot but I don’t read into too much. Everyone that walks out on to that field for England is a match-winner and can do something individually that can win us a game. We just need to tone it down a bit on me coming back in.”

Stokes will only be a batter at this World Cup as he manages his workload after the Ashes.

The return of the talismanic Ben Stokes augurs well for champion England at the ICC World Cup set to begin in India next in October.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

England crossed the final hurdle at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 against New Zealand in one of the most exciting cricket matches in history.

A few of England’s big performers from that title-winning campaign — Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid — feature in this edition, and will look to recreate the magic. Fast bowler Jofra Archer, the side’s highest-wicket taker in 2019, misses out due to injury.

The omission of Jason Roy has taken up headlines in the build up to the World Cup. Roy, initially slotted to open the batting with Jonny Bairstow, was axed from the final squad to accommodate the form pair of Dawid Malan and Harry Brook. Roy’s case was weakened when a back spasm ruled him out of the ODIs against New Zealand earlier this month.

Bold call on Brook

Malan is likely to take on the new ball with Bairstow, while the malleable Brook will come into the middle-order. With only six ODIs under his belt, Brook may not have experience on his side, but his huge returns in Test cricket and in the Hundred prompted this bold call from the selectors.

All-rounder Ben Stokes, the ‘player-of-the-match’ in the 2019 final, came out of a hiatus to play in this mega event. Stokes had retired from ODIs in July 2022 to stay fit for Tests, but the decision was reversed when he was named in the squad to take on New Zealand. Stokes’ tremendous value was underlined when he smashed a 124-ball 182 in the third ODI.

There are concerns surrounding Root’s poor form. The batter was included in the eleven in the first ODI against Ireland last week, but his wish to get into last-minute rhythm was denied when the outing was washed out. He will now step out to bat at the World Cup hoping that class overrides form.

On paper, England boasts of a strong bowling line-up, led by pacers Mark Wood and Chris Woakes, and leg-spinner Adil Rashid. Rashid’s recent fitness issues, and Wood’s long layoff, however, has called into question their readiness to perform on the biggest stage.

In Sam Curran, Reece Topley and David Willey — all left-arm seamers — reliable back-up is at hand.

The squad: Jos Buttler (Capt.), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, and Chris Woakes.

England’s Ben Stokes announced his intention to play ODI cricket again earlier this month. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

England limited-overs captain Jos Buttler hailed “superstar” Ben Stokes following his decision to come out of one-day international retirement.

Stokes called time on his 50-over career last year due to concerns over his punishing workload and a knee problem.

However, the England Test skipper announced his intention to play ODI cricket again earlier this month and has been named in the squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand, with the World Cup in India looming in October.

Also Read | Paine hits out at Stokes for coming out of ODI retirement to play in World Cup

England, world champions in both white-ball formats, play the Black Caps in four T20s and four ODIs and Buttler admitted he was “delighted” to have Stokes back in the fold.

“It’s excellent news on all fronts, said Buttler. “It’s great for cricket to have a superstar like Ben Stokes in a World Cup.

“You want to see those players in those major showpiece events so it’s fantastic that he’s made himself available.

“When a player of that calibre is available again it’s a no-brainer really that you want them back in your team.”

Stokes played a pivotal role in England’s 2019 World Cup triumph, scoring an unbeaten 84 in the final against New Zealand before starring in the Super Over alongside Buttler.

“You look at the impact he has in every game he plays really, but especially in the last couple of World Cups (including the 2022 T20 World Cup), he’s the man in the middle with the crucial moment,” said Buttler.

“We’re delighted to have him back. It’s not just the cricket but everything else he brings to the group.”

All-rounder Stokes, 32, will be returning to the ODI squad as a specialist batter and Buttler said he made his decision following the conclusion of the recent Ashes series, which ended 2-2.

“He said he’d be available as a batter and that was enough for me to just say ‘brilliant, can’t wait to have you back’,” said Buttler.

England open the 20-over section of the New Zealand series at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.

The first ODI takes place in Cardiff on September 8.

Although England have one eye on the World Cup later this year, Buttler is looking forward to a “great test” against the Black Caps.

“It’s great to be back together as a squad having not played together since Bangladesh in March,” he said.

“It’s very exciting stuff on the horizon obviously with the World Cup in India, but we start with the T20 series here against New Zealand which we’re determined to do well in.

“Of course I suppose the main priority is the ODIs against New Zealand — I think they’ll be a great test for us ahead of the World Cup.”