STOKES IS OUT!
Ben believes missing T20 defence is best all round
BEN STOKES has set aside his dreams of Twenty20 World Cup glory to regain full throttle as a bowler ahead of next year’s Ashes crusade.
The Bazball field general stunned England by telling Lord’s he “does not wish to be considered for selection” in a 15-man squad for the tournament in the Caribbean and USA in June.
England’s Test captain had already withdrawn from his scheduled £1.65m stint with Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
And explaining his shock decision to miss the T20 World Cup, where he was England’s match-winner in the final two years ago in Melbourne, he said: “Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future.
“I’m working hard and focusing on building my bowling fitness back up to fulfil a full role as an all-rounder in all formats of cricket.
“The recent Test tour of India highlighted how far behind I was from a bowling point of view after my knee surgery and nine months without bowling.
“I’m looking forward to playing for Durham in the County Championship before the start of our Test summer.”
His U-turn is a major blow for limitedovers skipper Jos Buttler and coach Matthew Mott as they prepare to defend the trophy.
Troubled by a persistent knee injury, Stokes bowled only 29 overs in last summer’s Ashes and he sent down only five overs – all in the final Test – in the 4-1 series defeat by India earlier this year.
Although he went under the knife last November and is now bowling pain-free, he intends to crank up his bowling workload by playing early-season games for Durham in the County Championship.
And he hopes to regain his place as a frontline member of England’s attack for 2025, when a five-Test home series with India is followed by the Ashes tour of Australia.
Stokes will be 34 by the time England head Down Under in 18 months, but he still dreams of leading the charge to recapture the urn.
England and Wales Cricket Board chief Richard Gould was supportive of Stokes’ decision, saying: “You want to see Ben Stokes in any and every team, but you fully understand the journey that he’s been on.
“He’s someone that’s put his body on the line literally for years for England.
“Now he knows that he can get better and stronger, that’s great for us for the next two, three, four years, because in cricket terms he’s still a relatively young man.”