Ben Stokes is well on his way to recovery and is expected to be fit for England’s crucial 2023 World Cup match against South Africa on October 21 (Saturday). He had to miss the first three games of the tournament due to a hip injury.
Stokes, who made a surprising return to the ODI squad for the World Cup after announcing his retirement from the format last year, has been a spectator for England’s initial matches, where they suffered losses against New Zealand and Afghanistan.
England’s prospects for reaching the semi-finals now hinge on winning five out of their last six games in the World Cup. The team could receive a significant boost with Stokes’ anticipated return, as he had pinpointed the match against South Africa as his comeback target. Stokes had even batted in the nets before the Afghanistan game and was very close to playing, as indicated by Jos Buttler, but he ultimately did not feature in the playing XI.
England’s head coach optimistic about Ben Stokes return against South Africa in ODI World Cup
England’s head coach, Matthew Mott, provided an update on Stokes, expressing confidence in his availability for the South Africa game. Mott mentioned on Tuesday, “We’ve been cautious with his recovery, but our medical staff has been optimistic about targeting the South Africa match.” Although I haven’t received a recent update in the last 24 hours, prior to that, he was on track to return.
“So fingers crossed, he can tick off all the things that need to be ticked off and he comes back into that side. He’s like the spiritual leader of the group in many ways, and he certainly spoke really well after the game the other day, and spoke about that need to really assert ourselves.”
Stokes also addressed his teammates after the Afghanistan defeat, encouraging them to adopt a more aggressive approach in the remaining matches. He had previously rallied the team following their loss to Ireland in the 2022 T20 World Cup, which led to England winning four consecutive games, including the final.
Stokes, a standout performer in the 2019 World Cup final, has accumulated 3,159 runs at an average of 40.50 and taken 74 wickets in 108 ODIs since his debut in 2011.
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