ICC World Cup 2023: England Can Win Without Ben Stokes- Ollie Pope On Reports Of Stokes' ODI Retirement U-turn
Published - 15 Aug 2023, 09:23 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:17 AM
England all-rounder Ben Stokes is reportedly set to make a return to ODI cricket for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023. Stokes who played a pivotal role in England winning the World Cup title in 2019 is wanted by his team in this World Cup as well.
Ben Stokes announced his retirement from ODI cricket in July 2022 citing workload problems and his wish to prolong his Test career. He was chosen as the Test captain which meant that he needed to be available for the longest format as the skipper of the side.
The news regarding Stokes’ return to ODI cricket was first broken by The Telegraph. “Ben Stokes is prepared to make a sensational U-Turn and reverse his one-day international retirement to help England’s World Cup defence in India this year, even if it means missing out on next season’s Indian Premier League,” a report in The Telegraph stated.
Stokes was the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 84 in the 2019 ODI World Cup final against New Zealand. He then played a knock of unbeaten 52 from 49 balls in the T20 World Cup final against Pakistan helping his team go past Pakistan’s target of 138. Thus Stokes’ performance has been crucial for his team in the last two ICC events.
Read More: England World Cup Schedule 2023: Full Schedule With PDF, Match List, Time Table, Date, Venue, Time
Any Team With Ben Stokes On It Is A Better Team: Ollie Pope
Speaking on Ben Stokes’s possible U-turn for ODI World Cup 2023, Ollie Pope said that England are lucky to have Ben Stokes playing for them and the all-rounder makes the team a better team.
“Ben Stokes is someone who loves playing for England. I think as much as anyone else. And he’s a player that any England team is lucky to have in the side, and obviously, he’s got his knee (problem). It’s no secret that he’s been trying to manage that, but it’s great for him that he feels like he’s in a place where he can go and have a big contribution in a tournament like the World Cup.
“And any team that has Ben Stokes is going to be a better team as well. So I mean, it’s great. It’s great for everybody and fingers crossed. If all these rumours are true, then I’m sure he’ll have an amazing tournament,” Pope told Sky Sports.
Pope further said that England have enough firepower to with the World Cup without Ben Stokes but making him available is a luxury that the team would want to have.
“Yeah, absolutely (Can England win it without Stokes?). I mean, look, we saw he didn’t have his best tournament in Australia, and then as he does, he stepped up when the team needed him the most in the semi-final and the final. He is someone who steps up in the biggest stages.” said Pope.
“But then again, you look at that team and there are guys with the bat who can do exactly that. I think the way sort of Brook has come through and Jos Butler himself. He’s someone you want in those massive games as well” he concluded saying.
“I think there are guys throughout the order. Um, Joe (Root), obviously. I mean, the list is endless.
“You can name every player in the order, and if they have their day out in the final of the World Cup, then they can be a match-winning hero and do exactly what he (Stokes) has done in the last two World Cups. So, of course, they can win without him. But look, any team is a better team with him in it,” Pope added.
There are further reports that Ben Stokes might miss IPL 2024 as he will be undergoing surgery on his injured knee during that period.
