England’s ICC World Cup 2023 campaign has been done and dusted with the current champions not making it into the top 4. They only managed to get 3 wins (2 in the last 2 games) in the tournament. Ben Stokes, who came out of retirement to play the ICC CWC 2023 has a decision to make. The decision would be whether to continue playing ODI cricket or not. Today, we will talk about that in detail. So let’s start.
Ben Stokes retired from ODIs in 2022
One of the best all-rounders in world cricket, Ben Stokes has decided to retire from ODI cricket in July 2022. His decision didn’t come suddenly or with any immediate effect. Stokes decided to relinquish ODIs citing physical and mental demands of playing across all three formats. Stokes’ chronic left knee injury also helps the all-rounder to take this decision.
Ben Stokes – Came out of retirement to play CWC 2023
The all-rounder has reversed his decision of ODI retirement to play in the ICC CWC 2023. Jos Buttler and the team management played a huge role in getting Ben Stokes back for the ODIs. Everyone knows what Ben Stokes can offer in big events and he also decided to make a comeback for the betterment of the team.
Despite knowing that Stokes will not be going to bowl, England has decided to keep him in the team. Stokes was first added in the 4-match ODI series against New Zealand just before the CWC 2023.
Missed a few games in CWC as well
Unfortunately, Ben Stokes has to sit out in the first three games of the CWC 2023. He came back again to play his first game in the tournament against South Africa. But he didn’t make a significant contribution in that game. England also lost that game by a very big margin.
A Decent World Cup Outing for Ben Stokes, But Not What England Were Looking For
Ben Stokes has scored 304 runs at an average of 50.66 in 6 games he played. But apart from the last two games, he didn’t play the way we used to see him playing. He did spend some time at the crease in the first 4 games but didn’t make a huge impact in the game. Also, his approach in those innings wasn’t up to his standard.
He got out cheaply against South Africa. And he was clueless in his 10-ball stay against India. Stokes scored 43 and 64 against Sri Lanka and Australia but didn’t convert that into a big score. England lost both games.
The real Ben Stokes was seen in the last two games
Ben Stokes has scored a century (108) against Netherlands and 84 against Pakistan to end his CWC campaign. And the touch of a real Ben Stokes was seen in those innings. England also won those games and finished their CWC 2023 campaign on a high.
Will Ben Stokes retire again in ODIs now?
After the Netherlands game, when asked whether the Pakistan game would be his last ODI, Ben Stokes said he had no idea. He also said there will be a conversation on this, but don’t know when.
After England’s last CWC 2023 game, Stokes said he will have to think about his continuation of playing ODIs. It will be very hard to make that decision, Stokes said.
Stokes also said he will consider the old decision of easing the workload, which he took in July 2022. As he is the captain of the Test team, he has to do a lot of things with the test team.
Stokes lauds England’s setup, said the decision is not in my hand
Ben Stokes has said that England’s ODI setup has a lot of personnel who are available to do the job. He applauds the quality of the players in the dressing room that England have. Stokes also said there will be some discussion on this one at the top and said the decision isn’t up to him.
Stokes to undergo a knee surgery later
Ben Stokes is set to undergo knee surgery which is due for a while. He is eyeing a comeback in the away test series against India in January 2024. This will also affect his decision to play ODI cricket in the future or not.
Will Ben Stokes continue to play ODI cricket?
As he will continue to play tests and T20Is, it will be a hard decision for him to make whether to continue playing ODIs. A lot will also depend on his fitness (physically and mentally) and how his body responds.
A T20 World Cup is not far away. So he might continue to be in the T20I setup. And he is the captain of the test team, which prioritizes the most. ODI CWC is 4 years away. And the Champions Trophy is 2 years away. So it will be difficult for him to continue.
Stokes has a decision to make. Let’s see if he continues playing ODIs or not. We will get to know as time passes.
What do you think? Will he continue to play in ODIs? Comment your opinion below. Thank you for reading. Keep following us for the latest updates.
