Ben Stokes set to become the biggest betrayer in ICC Champions Trophy 2025; ECB to involve Joe Root too

England is willing to include Joe Root and Ben Stokes in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad. The event for now will be played in Pakistan between February and March next year.

Ben Stokes came out of his ODI retirement to play in the ODI World Cup last year in India. Joe Root too played in the event.

As of now, Root will be rested for the ODI series against Australia and Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the summer with a torn hamstring.

Both, Root and Ben Stokes will get their final opportunity to play an ODI series against India ahead of the Champions Trophy at the start of February as their preparation ground.

That ODI series will be the last chance for players like Chris Woakes and Mark Wood to make an impact on their selection as well.

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England selector and former England cricketer Luke Wright has said that they are looking to build a strong squad for the Champions Trophy.

They endured a tough World Cup with losses to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka and have managed to qualify for the tournament by a whisker.

"We'll want to be as strong as possible. There's no Test cricket around at that point, so it gives us an opportunity to play our strongest team. The schedule over this next period up until Christmas is crazy, so there will be opportunities for guys to stake their claim."

"But come the Champions Trophy, we will be able to pick our strongest side" Luke Wright, England's selector, said at Lord's on Tuesday.

Root (Paarl Royals) and Ben Stokes (MI Cape Town) have both signed up for the SA20, which runs from January 9 until February 8.

They are both likely to miss January's T20I series in India but will arrive for the ODIs - which start on February 6 - if they are selected.

Joe Root struggled as England failed to defend their World Cup title winning just three out of their nine matches.

Root averaged a shade above 30 as England crashed out of the tournament with one of their worst performances in a 50-over World Cup. Despite that Wright has backed the veteran batter to perform.

"He's given a lot to English cricket. There's no reason why he can't then come into the major tournaments… we know how important Joe is to the England team. He also offers us [something] with the ball as well, and there's not many that do that… With someone like Joe, we've got to look after him, we don't want him to burn out" Wright said.

Joe Root-Ben Stokes Not Included For Australia White-Ball Series

Meanwhile, England have opted to drop Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali, the seasoned white-ball players for the ODI and T20I series against Australia.

They have handed three uncapped players Jacob Bethell, Josh Hull, and John Turner, and allowed them to make an impact.

"They're disappointed to miss out. I certainly won't be saying that that's the end for them. They're fine cricketers, but right now, we just want to give some other opportunities" said Wright on the experienced duo's axe.

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