The opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 between England and New Zealand on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is likely to be missed by star England all-rounder Ben Stokes. According to England captain Jos Buttler, Stokes has a minor hip ache ahead of the tournament’s opening match.
“His hip is slightly achy,” I said. We’re crossing our fingers for good news. When the players show up for training today, we’ll learn more about his diligent work with the physiotherapists. Jos Buttler, the captain of the England cricket team, was quoted by ESPNCricinfo as saying, “We’ll make the right decision: if he’s not fit to play, he’s not fit to play.”
Notably Ben Stokes missed England’s warm-up match against Bangladesh on Monday in Guwahati owing to a hip strain after their first warm-up match against India was postponed. Buttler also stated that he is not willing to take significant risks early in the competition.
“If he is, we can decide that. At the beginning of the competition, it is not a good idea to take a major chance on someone. It’s going to be a lengthy tournament, but maybe you do take more of a chance with people’s injuries closer to the end,” said Buttler.
Ben Stokes may be replaced by Harry Brook
After declaring his retirement from ODIs in July 2022, Stokes just made a comeback. The 32-year-old batsman had a comeback to remember, scoring the greatest ODI individual total ever by an English hitter. With 15 fours and nine sixes, Stokes scored a superb 182 (124) in his innings.
With 235 runs from three innings at an average of 78.33, a strike rate of 115.76, and 150 runs totaled, he finished as the second-highest run scorer in the series.
The rookie batting star Harry Brook, who also batted at the all-rounder’s position in the exhibition game, is expected to take the all-rounder’s role.
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