Under the new white-ball captain Harry Brook, England have not lost a single game at home against West Indies. On June 8, Brook-led England beat West Indies by four wickets and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the T20I series. However, despite the winning run, former New Zealand cricketer-turned-commentator Simon Doull believes England team management will be "hanging their hats" trying to convince Test captain Ben Stokes to make his comeback into T20I team for T20 World Cup 2026 which will be played in India and Sri Lanka.
"I think England might be hanging their hats on convincing Stokes to play in the 2026 T20 World Cup. I'm serious! They fully believe in that dressing room, and in that management group, that they will convince him to play. He then fills that role that means they can go in with two genuine seamers, Stokes and then the spin options they want in the side, which includes Bethell, Jacks, Rashid," Doull said as quoted from Sky Sports.
Stokes had expressed his desire to return to the white-ball setup after head coach Bredon McCullum took over the job across formats. But, the hamstring injury sustained during Test series against New Zealand last year ruled him out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. England ended up bowing out of the tournament without a win and Jos Buttler stepped down as captain.
Stokes' lacklustre T20I record in India and Sri Lanka
Stokes has had plenty of experience playing in India across formats. Apart from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Stokes has played 14 T20Is on Indian soil. From 11 innings, he has scored 186 runs at an average of 20.66. He does not have a single T20I fifty in India. In Sri Lanka, he has played just one T20I and scored just 26 runs. Stokes does not have a good record as a bowler in India. He as nine wickets at an average of 41.66.
The last time Stokes played T20 World Cup on Indian soil was in 2016. At Eden Gardens, Kolkata, he was smashed for four consecutive sixes in the final over by West Indies' Carlos Brathwaite.
Stokes' IPL record
In addition, Stokes has not played in the IPL since 2023. He played just two games for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2023 as he struggled with knee issues. He has an underwhelming IPL record as well, scoring 935 runs from 44 innings at an average of 24.60, including two centuries and as many half-centuries. He has 28 IPL wickets at an average of 35.42. These IPL matches include the 2020 edition which was played in UAE.