England coach Matthew Mott recently revealed that he was eager to lure the all-rounder out of his retirement and was willing to play him as just a pure batter in ODIs
England has unveiled its squads for the upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand, set to commence on August 30th. Notably, this announcement heralds the return of Ben Stokes to the ODI side, marking a significant comeback just a year after he decided to retire from this format. It’s been confirmed that the provisional World Cup squad for England will be the same as the group selected for the New Zealand ODIs.
Scheduled from August 30th to September 15th, the series encompasses four T20Is and four ODIs against New Zealand. The key highlight from the squad announcements is the reinstatement of Test captain Ben Stokes into the ODI squad.
Ben Stokes took his retirement from the ODI format in July 2022, citing an “unsustainable cricketing schedule.” Recently, however, reports emerged suggesting his readiness to rescind his retirement and contribute to England’s endeavor in the upcoming World Cup.
Conversely, the ODI squad omits the promising Harry Brook. Although he has solidified his position in England’s Test side with an impressive average of 62 across 12 Tests, his ODI exposure has been limited to merely three matches thus far.
Harry Brook’s debut in ODIs took place in the series against South Africa earlier this year. Regrettably, he couldn’t participate in the subsequent ODIs against Bangladesh owing to his involvement in the Test series against New Zealand. Brook’s performance in the second ODI of the South Africa series showcased his potential with an impressive score of 80. His notable century in the Indian Premier League added to his accomplishments, although his performance encountered challenges in the later stages of the campaign with Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the context of a middle-order position, Dawid Malan has been favored over Brook.
The 15-member ODI squad also included uncapped fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who has been capturing attention with his raw pace in the Hundred tournament. Atkinson also secured a spot in the T20I squad, positioning himself for a debut in at least one of the formats, if not both.
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New Zealand ODIs and World Cup squad: Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Reece Topley, Adil Rashid.
T20I squad: Jos Buttler (c) (wk), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Josh Turner, Josh Tongue, Luke Wood, Sam Curran, Rehan Ahmed, Adil Rashid.
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