ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Ben Stokes Will Bat At No.4 For England At The World Cup, And Harry Brook "Could Not Have Done More" To Secure His Place
Published - 04 Oct 2022, 01:12 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:13 AM
Ben Stokes will bat at No. 4 in England’s T20 World Cup squad, despite white-ball captain Jos Buttler’s insistence that he is wasted lower down the order as a finisher.
Stokes was sidelined from England’s tour to Pakistan following a busy summer as Test skipper, and he has not participated in a T20 international since March 2021, but he left for Australia on Sunday and is seen as a key member of the full-strength side, despite an abysmal record in his short-form career.
A successful opener for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2020, Ben Stokes has only batted higher than No. 5 three times in his T20I career. He will essentially be a direct replacement for Ben Duckett at No. 4 in England’s World Cup preparations.
“One of the things that have been said for a while is that he hasn’t had a clear role, And Jos, in particular, is clear that he’s a top-four player. Those conditions in Australia will suit the way he plays. You always have a bit of flexibility with the batting but he will be expected to be higher in the innings,” Matthew Mott, England’s white-ball head coach Said.
“I got a couple of texts [from Ben Stokes] on Sunday. He was jumping on that flight ready to go. We’ve deliberately left him alone. He’s had a busy summer. There’s a lot of time before that first World Cup game and when we get to Australia, we’ll be clear with everybody on what the expectations are with their roles,” Matthew Mott, England’s white-ball head coach Added.
Ben Stokes is likely to be joined in the middle order by Harry Brook:
Ben Stokes will probably be joined in the middle order by Harry Brook, who Mott claimed “could not have done any more” to secure his place in the World Cup squad following a dominating effort at No. 5 during their 4-3 series victory in Pakistan.
With a total of 237 runs across six innings and a strike rate of 163.01, Brook finished Sunday’s championship match in Lahore, Pakistan, capping a historic series in international cricket. He received the title of Series Player as well.
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