Ben Stokes, the England Test captain, has chosen to come out of his retirement from One Day Internationals (ODIs). He will be part of the England team for the upcoming World Cup in India.
Stokes will play in the ODIs against New Zealand, starting on September 8, and the white-ball series against them, which begins with the T20I series on August 30.
Jofra Archer, however, has not been included in the team. In addition, uncapped Surrey fast bowler Gus Atkinson has been named in the 15-player squad, according to a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Ben Stokes’ most recent ODI appearance was on July 19, 2022, facing South Africa. In his 105 ODIs, he has amassed 2,924 runs with an average of 38.98 and a strike rate exceeding 95. Within 90 innings, he has achieved three centuries and 21 half-centuries, and he has also taken 74 wickets, with his best performance being 5/61.
For the four-game T20I series against New Zealand, the squad includes three newcomers in the T20 format: Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, and John Turner. Tongue marked his England debut in this summer’s drawn Men’s Ashes Series, while Turner, a right-arm bowler from Hampshire, enters his first England squad.
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Luke Wright, the England Men’s National Selector, remarked, “We’ve been able to announce two incredibly strong teams that highlight the wealth of talent we possess in white-ball cricket. Ben Stokes’ return further enhances our capabilities with his game-changing skills and leadership. I’m confident that fans will relish seeing him back in an England ODI jersey.”
Wright also expressed excitement about giving international debuts to Gus Atkinson and John Turner, while Josh Tongue earned a place in the T20 squad after making an impression during the Ashes. With matches against New Zealand always closely contested, Wright concluded that these series provide an excellent opportunity to gauge England’s strength against one of the world’s premier teams.
England ODI squad: Jos Buttler (capt), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes
England T20I squad: Jos Buttler (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, John Turner, Luke Wood