England Test captain Ben Stokes is all set to take a U-turn on retirement and play the ODI World Cup in India later this year. In order to manage his workload, Stokes is also ready to sacrifice his Indian Premier League (IPL) contract with Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
British daily ‘The Telegraph’ reported the development as it mentioned, "Ben Stokes is prepared to make a sensational U-Turn and reverse his one day international retirement to help England's World Cup defence in India this year, even if it means missing out on next season's Indian Premier League."
"The England Test captain now appears willing to play World Cup if he is asked by white-ball captain Jos Buttler," the report further added.
The main reason behind Stokes' willingness to give up his whopping Rs 16 crore IPL contract with the defending champions is the five-Test series that will commence on January 25 and end on March 11. This would mean that Stokes will spend close to five months in India and will not have time for his family.
Meanwhile, the all-rounder is also expected to undergo knee surgery which has been troubling him in the past few months.
"While concern lingers over Stokes's knee which might require operation at some stage, Telegraph Sport understands that he would be prepared to miss next season's IPL if he needed a gap in his schedule to help him recover."
With the knee injury, putting a question mark over how much he can contribute with the ball, England Cricket Board (ECB) is ready to pick him as a specialist batter.
In the previous edition of ICC World Cup 2019, the southpaw scored 465 runs from 10 innings at an average of 66.43 including five half-centuries. The 32-year-old Stokes played his last ODI against South Africa last year where he scored five runs and got dismissed by part-time off-spinner Aiden Markram. He retired from ODI cricket to prolong his career, especially in the longest format of the game.
Jos Buttler-led England will start their campaign against the finalists of the last edition, New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on October 5.
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