Ben Stokes withdraws from 2024 T20 World Cup: Details
Veteran England all-rounder Ben Stokes has pulled out of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, which will take place in June in the West Indies and USA. The England Cricket Board confirmed the same on April 2. Stokes made the massive call in order to get fully fit to bowl across all formats in future. Here are further details.
Why does this story matter?
England are the defending T20 WC champions and Stokes was instrumental to their triumph in the 2022 edition. Hence, his unavailability is a major blow to the Brits. Notably, knee issues have restricted Stokes's bowling duties in recent years. The same has hampered his effectiveness as an all-rounder. He, hence, is determined to regain bowling fitness for the future assignments.
Here is what Stokes said
"I'm working hard and focusing on building my bowling fitness back up to fulfil a full role as an all-rounder in all formats of cricket," Stokes stated in an ECB statement. "Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future."
Stokes underwent knee surgery last year
Following the 2023 ODI World Cup in November, Stokes underwent a knee surgery. Though he got fit for the Test series against India, he only bowled once across the five Tests. "The recent Test tour of India highlighted how far behind I was from a bowling point of view after my knee surgery and nine months without bowling," Stokes said in the statement.
Here are his T20I numbers
Stokes hasn't played a T20I after the 2022 T20 WC. His only fifty in the format came against Pakistan in the final of the 2022 edition. The England Test skipper currently now has 585 runs from 43 T20Is at an average of 21.66. With his right-arm pace, he has scalped 26 wickets at an economy of 8.39.
