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England's star all-rounder Ben Stokes is all set to miss team's next ODI World Cup match against Bangladesh scheduled for Tuesday, October 8. Recent glimpses of Stokes in the nets while doing light running raised questions about his fitness and preparedness for the big game.
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According to a report by the BBC, while Stokes tried to regain fitness with light running sessions in Dharamsala, he seemingly 'looked uncomfortable'. This adds to the speculations that he might be out of the team lineup for the Bangladesh face-off.
Stokes' recent hip issue had already sidelined him from England's World Cup opener against New Zealand – a game that saw England suffering a nine-wicket loss.
Stokes' commitment to the English side remains unwavering. He was the Player of the Match during the 2019 ODI World Cup final. He revoked his ODI retirement in August to participate in the ongoing showpiece event. Stokes made a resounding return to ODI after hammering a record-breaking 182 off 124 against New Zealand recently. But his absence from England’s match against New Zealand in the ODI opener didn't auger well for the defending champions.
Earlier, Mark Wood, commenting on the situation, highlighted Stokes' importance in the English fold and also emphasised that Stokes wouldn't be rushed back ahead of schedule. He said, “Obviously we want Stokesy back – he’s a huge player – but he’s not Superman. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him. Other people have to stand up as well. It’s not all just about the Messiah Stokesy coming back and him doing everything. He’s obviously one of our best players, if not our best player, but all the lads have to stand up as well.”
Wood further voiced the team's determination for the upcoming matches. With Stokes' possible absence, the team's resolve will be under the spotlight. Wood added, “It’ll be to prove that we want to keep this trophy. It’ll be to prove people wrong – and there’ll be question marks now.”
England's ODI World Cup squad:
Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
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