ENG vs SA: Ben Stokes All Set To Return To England XI For South Africa Clash

England premier all-rounder Ben Stokes is all set to don a blue jersey for the team’s upcoming clash against South Africa in the ICC World Cup 2023. The match between the two teams will take place on Saturday (21st October) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

England have played their first three games in the tournament without the services of Ben Stokes. The all-rounder was down with a hip injury and now has gained his full fitness. His absence has been quite evident as the team is having a torrid time in the ICC World Cup 2023.

England suffered a defeat against New Zealand in the first game and then recently faced a disappointing loss against Afghanistan. They now need to win five of their last six games to keep themselves in contention for the World Cup. For that, Ben Stokes will be vital as he has a reputation for thriving under pressure.

England head coach Matthew Mott said that the medical team has been confident that Ben Stokes will be fit for the South Africa clash. He added that the all-rounder has achieved all the fitness targets. He explained (as quoted by Wisden):

“We’ve obviously been relatively conservative with him, but the medical staff were always confident that South Africa was a game we could target. I haven’t had a report on him in the last 24 hours, but before that, he was on target.”

ENG vs SA: He’s like the spiritual leader of the group – Matthew Mott on Ben Stokes

After England suffered a loss to Afghanistan, Ben Stokes had a fair conversation with his teammates. The all-rounder urged his side to play aggressively in the remaining games.

Matthew Mott touted Ben Stokes as the spiritual leader of the group and said that they are keeping their fingers crossed for his comeback. He elaborated

“So fingers crossed, he can tick off all the things that need to be ticked off and he comes back into that side. He’s like the spiritual leader of the group in many ways, and he certainly spoke really well after the game the other day, and spoke about that need to really assert ourselves.”

Ben Stokes came out of the ODI retirement for the ICC World Cup 2023. The all-rounder made a return in the series against New Zealand ahead of the tournament and was impressive with the bat.