"I'm available" - Ben Stokes confirms T20 World Cup 2024 availability

England National Cricket Team red-ball captain Ben Stokes has confirmed his availability for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which is set to be held in the United States of America (USA) and the West Indies in June 2024.

Stokes is regarded as one of the most dependable players in world cricket and he is known for playing tremendous knocks in pressure situations and guiding his team to victories. Throughout the years, Ben Stokes has played some unbelievable knocks in difficult situations, and once such innings came in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

On November 13 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, Ben Stokes smashed an unbeaten 52 runs off 49 balls during the run-chase while facing the dangerous Pakistan pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf.

He played a slow knock but made sure that his team won the match by 5 wickets and lifted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 trophy. That match also happened to be the last for Ben Stokes in T20I cricket as he has not featured in the format for England since then. However, he has made two T20 appearances during this period, playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings.

Overall, in 43 T20I matches, Stokes has scored 585 runs at an average of 21.66 and a strike rate of 128.00, with the best score of 52*. With the ball, he has picked up 26 wickets at an average of 32.92, an economy of 8.39, and a strike rate of 23.5. The numbers don’t do justice to what Ben Stokes brings to the table and now he has made himself available for the T20 World Cup 2024.

I’ve not even thought about that but I’m available – Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes spoke to media ahead of the fifth and final Test of the away series against India and he was asked about his T20 World Cup participation. He said that he is available for selection if the ECB wants him for the marquee tournament.

“I’ve not even thought about that but I’m available [for the T20 World Cup],” Stokes said, speaking ahead of England’s fifth Test against India.

“Whether or not I’m in the plans for that is a different thing. But I still want to be a part of that team going forward.”

Stokes has also made himself available for The Hundred for four or five matches, as per BBC Sport. The competition will be played from July 23 to August 18.

Meanwhile, Ben Stokes will be leading England in the fifth Test against India from March 7 and will be looking forward to a consolation win as the hosts have already clinched the series 3-1.

“It wouldn’t be a lie to say teams can think about the flight [home] before the game has started. Hand on heart, that’s not where we’re at, that’s not our mentality, that’s not our mindset. We’ll think about the plane when we’re on it, when the game is done and we’re on the way home. We’re here for another five or six days – and all our mindset is on is what we need to do to win this game,” Stokes said.