Jos Buttler will lead the ODI side against New Zealand in which Ben Stokes will feature after his reverse retirement
England’s test team captain Ben Stokes made a surprising decision which was pretty much expected yet came as suprise. Having previously retired from ODI cricket in July 2022, he boldly reversed his decision last week. He was not only reinstated but also secured a spot in England’s preliminary lineup for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
Among the highlights of England’s recent squad reveal for the New Zealand ODI series and the impending World Cup, the resurgence of Ben Stokes in the realm of 50-over cricket stole the spotlight.
England’s coach Matthew Mott expressed keenness in having Stokes make his return primarily as a batsman, taking into account his past knee injury. This proposition was furthered as Jos Buttler, the skipper of the white-ball team, took it upon himself to confer with Stokes before finalizing the team’s roster.
Delving into the specifics of their discussion, Buttler disclosed that Stokes arrived at the momentous verdict without requiring much persuasion.
“To be candid, the decision rested with Ben,” Jos Buttler said. “Familiar as you are with Ben’s nature, I believe engaging in discussions to sway his stance would be an exercise in futility.”
“We had some conversations quite a while ago about it and just left it to him to come to me, basically, if he wanted to come back. We’re delighted that he feels ready to come back and any time you can welcome him back into the team is great.”
Jos Buttler said that Ben Stokes marches to his own beat; his choices are unequivocally his own. Pestering him to expedite his return doesn’t align with the way he operates. His disposition inclines towards autonomous resolution-making. Buttler said:
Ben is very much his own man, he makes his own decisions. I’ve played with him for a very long time, I’m good friends with him. Me badgering him and saying ‘come back, come back’ is not really the way things work with Ben. He very much makes up his own mind and decides.
We had some conversations around it and just left it in his court. I’m sure the lure of playing in a World Cup is quite big for someone as competitive and as driven as he is to play in an England shirt. I’m delighted he felt up to it and could come back.
Recalling his heroics in the 2019 World Cup, Ben Stokes emerged as a leading figure in England’s nervy conquest over New Zealand in the gripping finale which was a victory by the barest of margins. Stokes batted with an average around 60 in World Cup 2019 and his unbeaten knock of 84* was truly an innings that gave England a second chance to achieve their dreams in the super over which they won on boundary count.
Following his commendable feats on the World Cup stage, Ben Stokes subsequently featured in a mere 10 ODIs as part of England’s strategy to strike a balance among players’ commitments across diverse formats. Eventually, with a strategic outlook, Stokes chose to distance himself from ODIs, stating that “players are not cars, you put fuel and set them running”. Clearly he was talking about the heavy scheduled cricket tours.
