Ben Stokes has decided to reverse his previous choice of retiring from one-day internationals, a decision he made 13 months ago due to concerns about his workload as a multi-format player and persistent issues with his left knee. This injury prevented him from bowling in the last three Tests of the recently concluded Ashes series against Australia.
Despite this, Ben Stokes, a key figure in England’s victory in the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand, may now participate as a specialized batsman as England aims to defend their World Cup title in India, commencing in October.
In preparation for the upcoming series, England will play four warm-up ODIs against New Zealand next month. Ben Stokes, aged 32, has been named in a 15-member squad for this series, which is likely to resemble the squad that will compete in the World Cup.
Luke Wright, the national selector for England’s men’s team, commented, “Matches against New Zealand are consistently intense and will give us an excellent chance to measure ourselves against one of the world’s top teams. Ben Stokes’ return only enhances our team’s quality with his knack for turning matches around and his leadership skills. I’m confident that fans will be thrilled to see him back in an England ODI jersey.”
Dawid Malan, who achieved centuries in ODIs in Australia, South Africa, and Bangladesh during the 2022/23 English winter, has retained his spot in the team over Harry Brook. It appears that Brook may have been excluded to make room for Stokes’s comeback.
In addition to the anticipated return of the seasoned Ben Stokes, England has also included uncapped Surrey fast bowler Gus Atkinson in the squad for the ODI series against New Zealand. Despite not being part of Surrey’s starting XI at the beginning of the season, Atkinson has made a strong impression across various formats, particularly in The Hundred tournament, where he consistently bowled at speeds of up to 95 mph (153 kph) for the Oval Invincibles.
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