England Ollie Pope has reacted to the rumours of Ben Stokes is likely to reverse his ODI retirement for the upcoming World Cup in India. England will defend their title under the leadership of Jos Buttler and if Stokes took a U-turn on his retirement it will definitely boost his team’s chances in the marquee ICC tournament.
While speaking to Sky Sports Ollie said, “Ben Stokes is someone who loves playing for England…It’s great for him that he feels like he’s in a place where he can have a big contribution in a tournament like the World Cup.” Ollie was quite confident about England’s chances at the World Cup.
He firmly acknowledged that Stoke’s presence makes the already star-studded team genuine favourites at the marquee tournament. “He [Ben Stokes] is a player that any England team is lucky to have in the side,” Ollie added.
Stokes hung up his boots from ODI cricket in July 2022. At the time, Stokes blamed an “unsustainable” cricketing schedule proving to be too hectic for him to manage. He retired from ODI cricket to shift his complete focus to leading England’s Test team. In a recent interview on June 26 via SkySports, Stokes told reporters, “I remain retired from the ODIs and will not reverse it” when asked about his chances of playing at the upcoming World Cup. However, Stokes is reportedly going to be available for the World Cup in India sparking rumours of his inclusion once again.
Cricket expert Mark Butcher deemed the decision to be a “no-brainer” in his opinion. He said, “Why wouldn’t [head coach] Matthew Mott and [captain] Josh Butler want a man who has been player of the match in two successful World Cup finals? It is a complete no-brainer.”
The premier all-rounder was presented with Player of the Match awards for his performances in the 2019 ODI World Cup final against New Zealand and the ICC T20 World Cup final against Pakistan. Stokes played an impressive 84-run innings in the final against the Kiwis in 2019, belting five boundaries and two sixes and guiding England to their first-ever ODI World Cup triumph. He was phenomenal against Pakistan in the 2022 final, scoring 52 runs. He hit five boundaries and one six in that game, helping England to beat the Asian side by five wickets.
The squads for the tournament are required to be submitted by September 5. Changes to the squad will be allowed until September 27.
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