The newly recruited CSK player, Ben Stokes, failed to feature in the first match of the 2023 ODI World Cup for England, and the internet wants to know why.
Earlier this year, Ben Stokes had walked out of retirement from ODI cricket just to feature in this particular tournament. He was considered as the goto man for England in the death overs, especially after his heroics in the final of the 2019 World Cup.
Then why was Stokes not named in the tournament opener against New Zealand?
The reason behind the player missing out on the game was made public by England’s current captain, Jos Buttler. “Ben’s going to miss this game, he’s got a little niggle with his hip,” Buttler said after losing the toss.
Everyone knows that Ben Stokes has had his issues with injuries in the recent past. Although he featured in the Ashes earlier this English Summer, he was battling his knee injury all the way from the start of the year.
This injury of his also saw him sit out the major part of the Chennai Super King’s IPL conquest campaign as well.
However, there are some good signs for England in the form of Stoke’s return to the team. In the last game that Stokes played for England against New Zealand, he broke the record for most runs for England by clubbing 182 runs.
Hence, it’s pretty clear that he is in a very good nick. If he is able to keep himself fit throughout the tournament, he might become a game-changer for the England team’s title defence in India.
