Ben Stokes has decided to rule himself out of England’s defense of the Twenty20 World Cup title in June. In a statement released by the England and Wales Cricket Board on Tuesday, Stokes mentioned that he hopes this sacrifice will allow him to become the allrounder he aspires to be in the future. Despite his knee issues, he delayed surgery to come out of one-day international retirement to help England in the Cricket World Cup in India last October. After England’s disappointing group stage exit, Stokes underwent knee surgery in November.
Having recovered, Stokes captained England in a five-test series in India earlier this year, but struggled to bowl until the last test in March, where he managed only five overs. He is now focusing on building his bowling fitness to be able to fulfill a full allrounder role in all cricket formats and prepare for the upcoming home test series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka.
Stokes expressed that opting out of the IPL and the T20 World Cup is a necessary sacrifice to ensure he can perform to his fullest potential in the long run. He reflected on the recent tour of India and acknowledged the work needed to regain his bowling fitness after being out for nine months post-surgery. Stokes is eager to play for Durham in the County Championship before the start of the summer test season.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in the West Indies and
