Ben Stokes Faces Doubt in 2023 ODI World Cup: Ben Stokes’ participation in England’s opening 2023 ODI World Cup match against New Zealand will be determined following today’s (October 4) practice session due to a hip injury, as confirmed by captain Jos Buttler.
Ben Stokes Faces Doubt in 2023 ODI World Cup Opener Against New Zealand
Recently, Stokes reversed his decision to retire from ODI cricket and featured in a four-match home series against the Blackcaps to regain his form in the format. In the third ODI at The Oval, the all-rounder, who will most likely play as a pure batsman in the tournament, scored a record-breaking 182.
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Stokes’ knee injury, which has prevented him from bowling, has been well documented, but he is presently suffering from a hip niggle. The all-rounder was held out of the warm-up match against India in Guwahati, which was ultimately called off due to rain.
Additionally, he was not a member of the squad that defeated Bangladesh by four wickets in their ensuing warm-up match on Monday, October 2.
“He has got a slight niggle in his hip. Fingers crossed that it’ll be good news for us. He is working hard with the physios and we will know more when the guys arrive for training today. We will make the right call: if he is not fit to play, he is not fit to play. He is definitely not ruled out and if we have to take risks, we will take it in the latter half of the tournament.”
During the pre-match press conference, England captain Jos Buttler mentioned that Stokes could still participate if his condition improves by Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. He told the press:
In case the player fails to recover in time, England will most likely feature Harry Brook at the position, with Bairstow and Malan likely to be the opening pair. Adil Rashid will be a frontline spinner for the defending champions, with Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone assisting him.
Chris Wookes, Mark Wood, and Reece Topley could be Jos Buttler’s pace triumvirate for the pivotal opening match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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