Knew I’d be enjoying World Cup: Ben Stokes on reversing his ODI retirement after file knock vs New Zealand

Ben Stokes has revealed that he was all the time planning to reverse his determination to retire from ODI cricket and return in time for this yr’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, after a record-breaking innings towards New Zealand on Wednesday.

Stokes retired from one-day worldwide cricket final yr and even advised reporters on the finish of this yr’s Ashes sequence that he had no plans to reverse his determination and return to motion for the World Cup, which begins in India subsequent month.

However, Stokes was named to England’s preliminary squad for his or her World Cup protection final month, and he warmed up for that occasion by making a superb 182 from simply 124 deliveries in his aspect’s thrashing of New Zealand at The Oval on Wednesday.

“Obviously I’ve been asked a lot about my knee over a long period of time, so I just said that to leave it,” Stokes stated post-match in relation to his feedback on the conclusion of the Ashes.

“I knew that I’d be playing in these games and potentially in the World Cup then when I said that, but it was just the easiest thing to say that and put you (the media) off the radar.”

Stokes hit 15 fours and 9 sixes whereas enjoying as a specialist batter, breaking Jason Roy’s file of 180 towards Australia in 2018 to turn out to be England’s highest particular person scorer in ODI cricket.

No.3 Consistent Dawid Malan briefly stole the present with a wonderful knock of 96 in a partnership of 199 with Stokes, but it surely was the England Test captain’s record-breaking innings – in a rematch of the 2019 World Cup Final – that stood out on a dominant day for the hosts.

“I didn’t really know (about the record) until the bloke on the tannoy (loudspeaker) announced it – then I got out next ball,” Stokes famous.

Stokes acknowledged that being within the group as a specialist batter gave him extra readability about his function within the group and allowed him to bat with extra freedom on the crease.

“This is the first time that I’ve been clear in my mind that that’s the one thing I can focus on,” Stokes stated.

“I think over the last 18 months, every day has been, ‘will I bowl, will I not bowl?’ Now, I know that I can just focus on thatâ€æ that’s my thing for the team now. Having that clarity in my head contributes to that.

“I’d favor to not go in that early as a result of I need to see the opposite lads on the prime do nicely. I do not assume I’ve essentially modified my method in one-day cricket from all of the years I spent at No. 5 or 6â€æ I nonetheless assume that batting at No. 4, I’ll exit with the very same method I had at No. 5.”

Published On:

Sep 14, 2023