Ben Stokes Comes Out Of Retirement; England Name Provisional World Cup Squad
Ben Stokes returns to England's ODI squad [Twitter]
In a significant development, England have recalled veteran all-rounder Ben Stokes for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. Considering the World Cup is around the corner, England were expected to request Stokes to come out of ODI retirement, which he announced last year.
Notably, Stokes announced his retirement in 2022 in order to focus on the other two formats of the game. However, his unparalleled match-winning attributes were once again on show during the T20 World Cup Down Under, as he helped England clinch their second ICC title in the format.
Therefore, considering his incredible ability to perform under pressure, England urged the veteran cricketer to reverse his retirement call and make a comeback to the ODIs for the World Cup scheduled in India later this year.
It was reported that skipper Jos Buttler spearheaded the leadership group formed to convince Stokes to come out of retirement.
In another notable event, Jofra Archer and Harry Brook haven’t found a place in the team, set to cross swords against the Kiwis as a part of their World Cup preparations. England Selector Luke Wright has confirmed that this is England's provisional World Cup squad and Archer would only be a travelling reserve for the mega event.
However, uncapped seamer Gus Atkinson, who has been impressive with the new ball in The Hundred 2023, has made it into the final fifteen and thus has an outside chance to make a wildcard entry into the final World Cup squad.
The rest of the squad comprises familiar names, with the likes of Buttler, Bairstow, Roy, Root, Wood and Topley set to form a robust lineup to deal with the Kiwi challenge.
England Provisional Squad For 2023 World Cup & NZ ODIs
Jos Buttler (C/WK), Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Reece Topley, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson
England T20I squad
Jos Buttler (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, John Turner, Luke Wood
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