Confirmed comeback date for Ben Stokes in England’s World Cup lineup

18 October, Mumbai (Maharashtra), India (ANI): Matthew Mott, the head coach of England’s white ball team, is keeping his “fingers crossed” in the hopes that star all-rounder Ben Stokes can recuperate fully in time for the ICC World Cup match against South Africa.

Due to a hip issue, Stokes has missed England’s first three World Cup games. As a result, he watched as his teammates were humiliated by New Zealand and Afghanistan.

“We’ve obviously been quite cautious with him, but the medical team has always been optimistic that we can win in South Africa. Before then, he was on track, but I haven’t received a report on him in the previous 24 hours,” Mott added.

So fingers crossed that he can complete all that has to be completed before returning to that side. In many respects, he resembles the group’s spiritual leader, and he definitely delivered a powerful speech after the game the other day, stressing the need of making our voices heard.

Without questioning England’s effort or commitment, Mott said that they lacked self-assurance and had failed in their “general attitude” with both bat and ball.

“The boys are trying really hard but the two things that we’re probably missing are the confidence – to puff your chest out, go out there and really take the game on – and then it’s just our general attitude, our ability to do the little things: bowl in partnerships when we’re bleeding from one end… and then with the bat, just being a little bit braver,” the England coach stated.

The likely recovery of Stokes at the Cricket World Cup will provide a significant lineup conundrum for England’s head coach. Mott must choose which player to exclude because to Stokes’ impending comeback, which seems all but certain.

Although Harry Brook has been holding down a steady position and would typically be anticipated to go, his composed 66 against the Afghans was perhaps England’s greatest innings and provided a compelling argument for his continued employment.

Although veteran seamer Chris Woakes and all-rounder Sam Curran are also vulnerable given their recent struggles with form, Stokes’ absence just makes matters more complicated.

It remains debatable. Over the next 24 hours, we’ll have some very insightful, strong discussions in an effort to determine the optimal balance—not only for South Africa, but also for the circumstances. It’s a nice issue to have since Harry batted so well and I believe everyone recognizes his caliber as a player. We’ll have a good XI no matter which way we go, said Mott.