England all-rounder Ben Stokes revealed that he was fully aware of his choice to forego his ODI retirement in order to represent England in the ODI World Cup during the Ashes 2023. He was named in England’s squad for their four-match series against New Zealand and in their provisional World Cup squad after taking a U-turn on his retirement plans from ODI cricket.
Ben Stokes’ brilliant century against New Zealand helped him to become the highest individual scorer ever for England in the ODI and the left-handed all-rounder played exceedingly well to score 182 runs which included nine sixes and fifteen fours falling 18 runs short of the well-deserved double century in the home soil.
Speaking to the media after his thumping century, Ben Stokes said that he was aware of playing the ODI World Cu in India despite his knee injury and he expressed his happiness after a performance against the Kiwis in the second ODI International and wants to get himself in the 50-over format of the game.
“Obviously I’ve been asked a lot about my knee over a long period of time, so I just said that to leave it. 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 press] off the radar.”
“Today was good for me personally, just to get familiarity again with how 50-over cricket goes. We started off and lost a few quick wickets, then wanted to go out and put them under a bit of pressure. There were a couple of times I had to check myself because I looked up and there were still 23-24 overs left – that’s how one-day cricket can go,” Ben Stokes said.
Stokes and Malan added 199 runs for the third wicket, a record stand for England in an ODI. The England all-rounder completed his century for England in just 76 balls and would look to continue his fine form going forward in the build-up to the mega event in India.
Having The Clarity In My Head Contributes To That – Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes admitted that the last 18 months had been difficult for him as he was often worried more about his bowling than anything else. However, he now feels more in control of his thoughts and is better able to contribute to the team’s success as the team needs.
“This is the first time that I’ve been clear in my mind that that’s the one thing I can focus on, 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 that… that’s my thing for the team now. Having that clarity in my head contributes to that,” Ben Stokes added.
Ben Stokes would be a key batter for England in the middle order alongside Joe Root, Jos Buttler, and Liam Livingstone, as they can be crucial for the defending champions’ chance of retaining the championship in the ODI World Cup in India.