England white-ball coach Matthew Mott believes Ben Stokes will provide a major boost to his side's chances of winning the T20 World Cup.
Stokes has not played a T20I since March 2021, but recently retired from ODI cricket, stating: "I will give everything I have to Test cricket, and now, with this decision, I feel I can also give my total commitment to the T20 format."
And Mott is hopeful that Stokes can be a gamechanger for an England side that have lost three T20I series in a row since last year's World Cup, labelling him a "free hit". Mott also gave some insight into how he plans to use Stokes, suggesting he will bat in the top four.
"He will add plenty," Mott said. "When you add players like Stokes into any team, it makes selection a hell of a lot easier. You've always got a basically a free hit with the balance of your team.
"Having a world-class bowler that's in the top four is a huge asset to any team. So bringing him back will put a whole different slant on the way we are able to put our team together."
Interestingly, Stokes has only ever batted in the top four three times for England in T20Is and Mott's admission will ramp up the pressure on incumbents Jason Roy and Dawid Malan. Roy in particular has struggled for runs this summer, managing just 76 from 98 balls in six T20Is, and Mott did admit he may have to make some "hard decisions".
He added: "When you've been a great player, and you've delivered great things on a big stage, I think you deserve a bit of loyalty. And I've always believed that, in great teams, different types of players fire and they miss out.
"You can hold that for a bit, and you get some currency from having delivered on the big stage - but at certain times, hard decisions need to be made. Young players come in and add energy, and we have two players [Phil Salt and Harry Brook] on the sidelines, they are chomping at the bit for a game and I think that's really healthy.
"So that they've now got an opportunity to go back to the Hundred, get a mountain of runs, keep putting pressure on and be ready for when that opportunity does come. It's about making good decisions at the right times."
