Former England skipper Nasser Hussain sounded optimistic about the return of Ben Stokes to the playing 11 for England’s clash against South Africa on October 21st in Mumbai. The defending champions will be under extreme pressure to win their remaining games in order to advance to the ODI World Cup’s final four after the Jos Buttler-led side were shocked by Afghanistan in their third match.
Ben Stokes experienced hip discomfort before the opening game against New Zealand. The England cricket team decided to rest their star cricketer for the opening match because they didn’t want to risk him so early in the competition.
Meanwhile, the left-handed all-rounder has fully recovered from the injury, which proved to be costly for the team so far.
In his column for Daily Mail, Nasser Hussain has cautioned that they cannot drift too far from the competition if they wish to defend their ODI World Cup title in India and urged the team management to bring in Ben Stokes against in-form South Africa on Saturday.
“For Jos Buttler’s team, there is no wiggle room now. They have to win every match from here on if they want to keep the defence of their title in their own hands.”
“That means them playing their best XI and acting as if every game, starting with facing the in-form South Africa in Mumbai on Saturday, is a World Cup final. That means Ben Stokes has got to come back in if he is fit. I sincerely hope England were not holding him back here thinking ‘It’s only Afghanistan,” Nasser Hussain maintained.
Ben Stokes, who had earlier declared his retirement from ODI cricket returned to the squad after taking back his retirement from the game but could not take the field for the first three games of the World Cup. He would look to make an impact for the team if returns to the team for the mega clash against South Africa.
It Is Not The Time For Any Kind Of Emotion Or Loyalty – Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain wants Jos Buttler and the England team management to make tough decisions going forward, as he raised concerns regarding the form of Chris Woakes in the tournaments. He urged the team to leave him out of the playing 11 and feels that the defending champions look very poor in subcontinental conditions.
“Chris Woakes is completely out of nick — that has been evident in all three matches so far. He has been very un-Woakeslike. England have to leave him out now. Now is not the time for any kind of emotion or loyalty.”
“This England side looks vulnerable, particularly in subcontinental conditions. One of my pre-tournament predictions was that Afghanistan would produce an upset at this World Cup – I just didn’t expect it to be England on the receiving end,” Nasser Hussain added.
Afghanistan defeated the reigning World Cup champions England with ease by a score of 69 runs, pulling off the first stunning upset in the 2023 tournament. Jos Buttler-led side would look to put this poor performance behind them to come back good in the remaining games in India.
