ENG vs NZ: Ben Stokes Kept His ICC World Cup 2023 Plans A Secret From Media
Published - 14 Sep 2023, 12:28 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:18 AM
England Test captain Ben Stokes has revealed that he had planned to be part of the ICC World Cup 2023 long before but hid this knowledge from the media. Ben Stokes revoked his ODI retirement and is part of the England squad for ICC World Cup 2023.
Ben Stokes smacked a century against New Zealand in the 3rd ODI on Wednesday. The left-handed batsman smacked 182 runs to lead England to victory. Moreover, the England all-rounder also broke the record for top knock by an England player in ODIs. Jason Roy held the previous record with his 180-run knock.
During the post-presentation conference, Ben Stokes told ESPN Cricinfo that he had already planned to play in the ODI World Cup 2023 and reverse his ODI retirement. However, he hid that information from the media so as to keep them off the radar.
I Knew That I’d Be Playing ICC World Cup 2023: Ben Stokes
“Obviously I’ve been asked a lot about my knee over a long period of time, so I just said that to leave it. I knew that I’d be playing in these games and potentially in the World Cup then when I said that, but it was just the easiest thing to say that and put you [the press] off the radar”, the 32-year-old said.
Ben Stokes had retired from ODIs last year but took back his decision ahead of ICC World Cup 2023. The England Test skipper also said that he is ready to play at any position in the middle-order. He also reckoned that he hasn’t changed his approach in ODIs.
“I’d prefer not to go in that early because I want to see the other lads at the top do well. I don’t think I’ve necessarily changed my approach in one-day cricket from all the years I spent at No. 5 or 6… I still think that batting at No. 4, I’ll go out with the exact same approach I had at No. 5.
“I didn’t really know [about the record] until the bloke on the tannoy announced it – then I got out next ball,” “You have way more time than you think,” he said. “In terms of game awareness and game smartness, today was good for that”, the right-arm seamer further added.
England Defeat New Zealand In 3rd ODI
Meanwhile, England crushed New Zealand by 181 runs in NZ vs ENG 3rd ODI. Batting first, Ben Stokes (182) and Dawid Malan (96) led England to a gigantic 368-10 total. Later, they crushed New Zealand at 187, winning the game by a huge margin.
For New Zealand, Glenn Phillips scored the most 72 runs for the team while Trent Boult picked 5 scalps. For England, Chris Woakes and Liam Livingstone picked 3 wickets each. England leads the series 2-1 with one more game to go.
