Stokes is adamant about retiring from ODI and considering surgery for a nagging knee problem

The captain of the England Test squad, Ben Stokes, has said he has no plans to reverse his decision to skip this year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and will instead use the break to research surgery for his ongoing knee problem.

After helping England win the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia last year, many thought that Stokes, 32, would leave his ODI retirement to help his country replicate their success in the shortest format and defend their 50-over World Cup title in India.

 

However, Stokes said he was still done playing 50-over cricket and was looking forward to a rest following the fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval, which begins on Thursday.

Stokes said, “I’m retiring.

“After this game, I’m taking a vacation, and that’s all I’m thinking about,”

During England’s January tour of New Zealand, Stokes injured his knee and was only able to play in two games for Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

The talented all-rounder did not bowl during the two most recent Tests at Headingley and Old Trafford and will once again not be a bowling influence in south London this week, despite having previously shown some remarkable individual batsmanship throughout the Ashes campaign.

During England’s January tour of New Zealand, Stokes injured his knee and was only able to play in two games for Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Stokes confessed that the fact that he cannot bowl due to his knee problem is prompting him to consider seeking surgery after the Ashes. England’s next Test series is not until they travel to India to face Rohit Sharma’s squad at the beginning of 2024.

Stokes stated of his injury, “It’s something I certainly want to get solved.

“There has always been cricket around when I’ve seen experts and other things like that. We’ve just gotten started because it’s been manageable.

But I believe it is a wonderful opportunity to have some serious discussions with doctors about what I may be able to do to get a job where I can bowl without having to worry about my knee. In our free time, we will be able to talk about such things.

During England’s January tour of New Zealand, Stokes injured his knee and was only able to play in two games for Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Stokes revealed he still wants to play in the forthcoming Ashes series in Australia at the end of 2025 despite the fact that he accepted his career is reaching its finish rather than its beginning.

“How this series has gone and how close we were, it does make you think when we go to Australia, do we have a better chance than the last few times we’ve been there,” Stokes said.

“Hopefully, going out to Australia in 2025 and having a good chance of winning would be nice.”