On Tuesday (April 2), Ben Stokes announced his withdrawal from England’s title-defence in the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup, to be held in West Indies and USA in June. Stokes was part of the Jos Buttler-led England squad that won the last edition, held in Australia, in 2022. In the final, against Pakistan, Stokes stood tall in a 138-run chase with an unbeaten 49-ball 52 as England won by five wickets at the MCG, Melbourne.
The England Test captain, who was last seen in action during the Three Lions’ five-match Test series versus hosts India in January-March, has taken the tough call in order to regain full fitness since his knee surgery in November 2023.
‘Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice’
In a statement shared by the England Cricket Board (ECB), Stokes said, “I’m working hard and focusing on building my bowling fitness back up to fulfil a full role as an all-rounder in all formats of cricket. Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future.”
The statement further added, “The recent Test tour of India highlighted how far behind I was from a bowling point of view after my knee surgery and nine months without bowling. I’m looking forward to playing for Durham in the County Championship before the start of our Test summer. I wish Jos, Motty and all the team the best of luck in defending our title.”
Stokes has not been fully fit in recent times. In Ashes 2023, at home, the England captain played a limited role with the ball, bowling 29 overs in four innings from five Tests. He didn’t bowl a single over in the ODI World Cup, where he returned to the format after coming out of retirement, and played the five Tests against India by bowling only five overs in the final Test in Dharamsala. He has played mostly as a batter due to his knee issues, to manage his workload.
Thus, Stokes also opted out of IPL 2024 — after playing only a few games for MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2023 — and wants to return after regaining full fitness to prolong his career.
Notably, Jos Buttler-led England are placed in Group B in the upcoming T20 WC, alongside arch-rivals Australia, Namibia, Scotland and Oman.