England’s Test captain Ben Stokes recently caused a massive frenzy as the all-rounder decided to come out of his ODI retirement ahead of the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 in India. Stokes had earlier announced his retirement from the ODI format as he looked to manage his workload. The star cricketer however decided to change his decision and has been included in England’s squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand.
Stokes played a crucial role in England’s triumph at the ICC ODI World Cup 2019, and the star all-rounder was also a key cog in their T20 World Cup win last year.
Former Australia cricketer Tim Paine recently bashed Stokes for his retirement U-turn, slamming that his decision might cost Harry Brook his place in the World Cup squad.
“Ben Stokes coming out of one day retirement, I found that interesting. It was a bit of, ‘Me, me, me’, there isn’t it? It was, ‘I’ll pick and I’ll choose where I want to play and when I want to play’, and, ‘I’ll play in the big tournaments’,” said Paine speaking to SEN Tasmania.
“The guys who played for 12 months, ‘Sorry, thanks. But can you go and sit on the bench because I want to play now?’” he added.
Stokes, however, found some support from his compatriot Michael Vaughan who has slammed Paine for his ‘ridiculous’ remark, the former England captain added that Stokes is one of the most ‘selfless’ cricketers he has ever seen.
“Ben stokes is the most selfless cricketer I have ever known .. He puts Team before himself more than any other player .. Ridiculous suggestion from Tim ..” wrote Vaughan on the micro-blogging platform X (formerly Twitter).
Ben stokes is the most selfless cricketer I have ever known .. He puts Team before himself more than any other player .. Ridiculous suggestion from Tim .. https://t.co/jUXwzl1z2e— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) August 19, 2023
Stokes, 32, has played 105 ODIs for England in the past, and he has scored 2924 runs, at an average of 38.99 and a strike rate of 95.09 including 21 half-centuries and three tons.
The all-rounder also has 74 wickets under his name, but given his recent injuries, it remains to be seen whether he will be seen bowling for England or if he will feature as a specialist batter.
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