ENG vs SA: Ben Stokes Says He Will Give It A Good Push To Be Available For South Africa Clash

England all-rounder Ben Stokes talked about his injury ahead of the game against South Africa in the ICC World Cup 2023. He said that he will give it a good push to be available for the game as he’s in a good place and everything is going right for him.

Ben Stokes admitted that he was frustrated as he faced a little niggle ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023. The all-rounder underwent net sessions as well on Thursday evening and it’s likely that he will be in the XI for the important clash against South Africa.

Speaking to BBC, he said: “[It was] a frustrating little niggle to get before the tournament starts. But I have worked very hard to get back to where I am and make 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 will] give it a good push but, yes, I think everything is pretty good. I am in a good place.”

England suffered a defeat against New Zealand in the first game of the tournament 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. They played the games without the services of Ben Stokes, who had a hip injury.

Ben Stokes admitted that they were disappointed after the loss against Afghanistan but they need to get rid of that and move forward. He elaborated:

“We are only three games into a tournament. There is still a long way to go. It [the loss to Afghanistan] was disappointing in the moment, but at the end of the day, we have lost a game of cricket in a World Cup. Everyone is going to lose games and it’s one of those things we had to deal with quickly, understand that we didn’t perform well but move on, and understand we have a lot more cricket left to play.”

ENG vs SA: We would love to get our second win – Ben Stokes on South Africa Clash

Ben Stokes was adamant to get a win against South Africa. But he admitted that the Proteas have been performing well and he hopes that Mumbai will be good to them. He explained:

“We would love to get our second win here. South Africa have been performing really well so far and are a good team. It is exciting as well being at the Wankhede, the first game there [of the World Cup]. It is generally a nice place to bat in particular. Hopefully, it can be one of those games for us where we go out and click.”

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. The match against South Africa will take place on Saturday (21st October) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.