Follow UsAfter much deliberation, England’s talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes is all set to come out of ODI retirement to be part of the Three Lions’ setup for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. According to Sky Sports, the 32-year-old is set to play the 50-over event as a specialist batter, given his track record with knee injuries.
The reports earlier suggested that Stokes could be part of the England setup for the showpiece event in India but could later give the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) a miss. Sky Sports, however, stated that the all-rounder will delay his surgery on the left knee and won’t roll his arm during the event in India. Earlier, off-spinning all-rounder Moeen Ali marked his return to the Test setup after Jack Leach's injury ahead of the Ashes. Soon after the Ashes, the off-spinner announced his retirement for good from the longest format.
With the ODI World Cup squads needing to be submitted by September 5, England selectors are set to name a preliminary squad by Tuesday (August 15). The teams will be allowed to make changes to their squad till September 27, with 15 members allowed to be named in the squad.
Alongside that, the teams are allowed to have three more travelling reserves. England are set to meet New Zealand in what is dubbed a re-match of the 2019 World Cup final, where it was the Three Lions who eked out the BlackCaps.