Ben Stokes has confirmed his availability for England's upcoming ODI World Cup match against South Africa in Mumbai on Saturday, October 20, after sitting out the initial three games due to a left hip ailment.
Having come out of ODI retirement specifically for this World Cup, an unfortunate injury had kept him off the pitch. His last appearance was a remarkable 182-run innings against New Zealand at The Oval on September 13, in preparation for the World Cup. However, his involvement in recent training sessions indicates a positive outcome for the upcoming game for England.
England's skipper Jos Buttler had hinted at Stokes' imminent return after their unceremonious loss to Afghanistan in Delhi on Sunday, October 15. Now, all eyes will be on Stokes as he gears up for the weekend clash, contingent on successful training stints on Thursday and Friday.
"[It was] a frustrating little niggle to get before the tournament starts," Stokes shared with the BBC. "But I have worked very hard to get back to where I am and making myself ready to be available for selection."
He expressed his optimism about playing on Saturday, noting, "I am in a good place."
Having been on the sidelines for England's initial matches, Stokes voiced his eagerness to rejoin the squad, especially with the team's semi-final aspirations hanging in the balance after losses to New Zealand and Afghanistan. "We are only three games into a tournament," Stokes remarked. "Everyone is going to lose games... we have a lot more cricket left to play."
After landing in Mumbai, the England team enjoyed a brief respite, with many players reuniting with their families. "It has been a good chance to rest and get fired up and ready for the game against South Africa," said Stokes. He also acknowledged South Africa's strong performance and expressed enthusiasm about playing at the Wankhede Stadium.
Meanwhile, Stokes' efforts off of the field were also lauded by the head coach. “He’s like the spiritual leader of the group in many ways and he certainly spoke really well after the game the other day,” said Mott.
“He spoke about that need to really assert ourselves, which he’s renowned for. I said ‘I’ve got this’ and just spoke, talked about the plan going forward for the next few days, and then Stokesy came in on the back of that.
“He really reinforced what was a great message, particularly for someone who’s sitting on the bench and has a bit of a different lens on things. I think it went down well, it brought us back to controlling what we can control, really.”
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