England have received a huge boost ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 as Ben Stokes reversed his ODI retirement, and was named in the squad for the four-match ODI series against New Zealand.
England coach Matthew Mott recently revealed that he was eager to lure the Test team skipper out of his retirement, and was willing to play him as just a pure batter in ODIs.
England squad for New Zealand series: Jos Buttler (captain), 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.
There is still no place in the squad for Jofra Archer who continues his recovery from injury. Mott has been keen on having Archer in the squad for World Cup.
England will play a white-ball series against New Zealand at home starting with the T20I series from August 30 onwards, consisting of four T20Is and ODIs each.
Ben Stokes returns to the England Men’s ODI set-up after deciding to reverse his decision to retire from the format while uncapped Surrey quick Gus Atkinson is included in the 15-player squad, as per an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) press release.
Stokes last played an ODI for England on July 19, 2022, against South Africa. In 105 ODIs, he has scored 2,924 runs at an average of 38.98 and a strike rate of above 95. He has three centuries and 21 fifties in 90 innings. He has also taken 74 wickets in the format with best figures of 5/61.
The squad for the four-match T20I Series against the Blackcaps includes three players who are uncapped in the 20-over format – Atkinson, Josh Tongue and John Turner.
Tongue made his England debut during the drawn Men’s Ashes Series earlier this summer while Hampshire right-armer Turner makes his first England squad.
England Men’s National Selector, Luke Wright, said: “We have been able to name two extremely strong squads that underline the depth of talent we enjoy in white-ball cricket.
“The return of Ben Stokes only adds to that quality with his match-winning ability and leadership. I am certain that every fan will enjoy seeing him back in an England ODI shirt again.”
“We are also excited to give first international call-ups to both Gus Atkinson and John Turner while Josh Tongue has deserved a place in the T20 squad after impressing during the Ashes. Any series against New Zealand is closely fought and will provide us with an ideal opportunity to test ourselves against one of the best teams in the world,” concluded Wright.
*With inputs from agencies
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Updated: 16 Aug 2023, 03:11 PM IST
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