Ben Stokes returns to the England ODI fold hopeful that his post-World Cup plans will solve the long-running saga of his left knee – leaving him free to continue his career as his country’s marquee all-rounder.
Stokes, who will play purely as a batter in the four-match series against New Zealand, starting on Friday, and the World Cup, refused to be drawn on what exactly this would involve. “There will be a time I make clear what’s going on, but I don’t think now is the right time to do that,” he said, while speaking confidently of “a really good plan”.
Stokes had previously hinted that he would look at the six months between the end of the Ashes and the first Test against India in late January as a period to sort out longstanding knee problems. But after reversing his decision to retire from ODI cricket, and committing to the World Cup, that window has shrunk – but not, it seems, too far.
“There’s actually quite a long time off after the World Cup,” said Stokes. “I’ve been having some good conversations with some specialists, rehab and physios, the surgeons, the guys who know what they are doing.
“The medical team have been brilliant, getting different opinions. It’s nice knowing after the World Cup we’ve got something, a really good plan we can do and we can stick to. I want to be playing next summer as a genuine all-rounder. This winter is all about playing this World Cup, then getting this knee sorted.”
He admitted to occasional doubts about whether it was worth the pain of trying to bowl again: “You go through different thoughts. At the end of the Ashes when I had had another difficult series with the ball, my knee was sore, and I thought I can’t be arsed with this any more, it is just too hard. But then you pull yourself away from that and keep pushing on. I get bored in the field when I’m not a bowler.”
Stokes stepped down from ODI cricket in July 2022, shortly after taking over the captaincy of the Test team, blaming the “unsustainable” cricketing merry-go-round, but reversed that decision in August of this year, unable to resist the lure of the World Cup.
It was not, he revealed, a snap decision, but one made during ongoing conversations with the white-ball captain, Jos Buttler, and the coach, Matthew Mott.
“I needed to see how I got through the Ashes and then think about what I had after the World Cup, with the Test tour and all those things coming up. When I felt like I had to make a decision, and made myself available, it was an easy one to make.
“The words ‘World Cup’ are something that’s pretty inspiring. Going into this one as world champions, playing a part in that in 2019, that was an unbelievable moment for us as a team and myself. The idea of going in and potentially being able to win back-to-back World Cups was one of the big things.
“ When it came to it, it was nice to know that Jos wanted to pick me even though I probably wouldn’t bowl a ball.”
Stokes’ selection nudged Harry Brook out of the World Cup squad and the series against New Zealand, but Brook has been added as cover against the Black Caps after Jonny Bairstow picked up a shoulder niggle and with Dawid Malan’s wife due to give birth imminently. With Mott hinting that the World Cup selection was not set in stone, the series looks to be a dog-fight for batting places – with Brook’s possible rivals Liam Livingstone, Jason Roy and Malan in the spotlight.
New Zealand, England’s opponents in the breathtaking 2019 World Cup final, bring back Trent Boult for his first international since November, after he turned down a central contract last year. With Mark Wood also weighing up the lure of a central contract v franchise competition, Stokes was empathic: “We know the whole landscape of cricket is changing. That is great for the individuals who are still within the game but also the guys who are coming through … I’ve got to understand as a captain that there might be some decisions players make and I’m very comfortable and aware that something like that might happen.”
England (possible): Roy, Bairstow, Root, Stokes, Buttler (capt and wk), Livingstone, Moeen, Woakes, S Curran, Rashid, Wood
New Zealand (possible): Young, Conway, Mitchell, Phillips, Latham (capt and wk) Nicholls, Santner, Henry, Southee, Ferguson, Boult
