"Will see if he’s keen": England coach Matthew Mott on Ben Stokes
Aug 13, 2023
London [UK], August 13 : England coach Matthew Mott wants Ben Stokes to play in the England squad for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in India.
Ben Stokes retired from One Day Internationals in July 2022 and, following the Ashes, repeated his desire to remain retired from the 50-over format in order to be fit for the Test series against India in early 2024.
Stokes suffered a knee injury in New Zealand in February, forcing him to miss most of the Indian Premier League season. Despite being ready to captain England in the Ashes, he was primarily limited to batting owing to the injury, bowling only 29 overs in five matches.
Nonetheless, Stokes has continually proven his worth as a specialised batter. England's white-ball coach, Matthew Mott, is willing to include him in the World Cup squad solely on the basis of his batting ability.
"Jos Buttler will probably lead the way on that communication, but Ben’s pretty straight with all of us. We will see if he’s keen," Matthew Mott was quoted as saying by ICC.
"There has not been a clear direction on what he’s going to do yet, but we are still hopeful. I’ve always said his bowling would be a bonus, but just look at what he brings with the bat, even in the field. Watching him throughout the whole Ashes series, he had such a great presence. He’s done it for years when it comes to performing in one-day cricket and so he’s an invaluable commodity," he added.
Ben Stokes was one of the heroes for England in the 2019 edition, winning the Player of the Match in the Final for his memorable unbeaten 84.
The World Cup kicks off on 5 October with defending Champions England taking on New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
