England test captain Ben Stokes set to return to ODI cricket for World Cup
England's Ben Stokes during a nets session at Edgbaston
England all-rounder Ben Stokes is reportedly set to return to ODI cricket ahead of the 2023 World Cup following his retirement from the one-day format last year.
Ben Stokes is set to come out of ODI retirement and avail himself for selection for the World Cup.
The 32-year-old retired from the 50-over format last year in order to focus on his captaincy of the England test team.
His final ODI innings was back in July 2022 when South Africa toured England, where Aiden Markram dismissed him for five runs in a 62-run defeat.
Stokes, who was already struggling with a knee injury at the time of the retirement, is set to be reintegrated into the one-day format as a specialist batsman for the upcoming World Cup in India.
According to SkySports, Stokes' decision to play the 50-over format has led to the postponement of his surgery on the left knee until a later date, which is why he will not bowl at the tournament.
Stokes has proven himself as a matchwinner for The Three Lions at ICC tournaments, scoring a match-winning 52 not out against Pakistan in last year's T20 World Cup final and also being the hero and man of the match when England won the 2019 ODI World Cup against New Zealand.
Sports betting websites have England as the second favourite to win the 2023 Cricket World Cup behind India and it will be interesting to see how that changes if Stokes is ultimately named in the squad as expected.
The New Zealand-born all-rounder will be looking to go past the 3000 run milestone in India, as he currently has 2924 runs in the one-day format for England.
England selectors are reportedly set to meet on Tuesday, with squad submissions due by September 5 with teams allowed to make changes until September 27.
Each nation has to submit a 15-man squad with three travelling reserves for the World Cup in October.
