England team must be pretty happy as Ben Stokes returns to the ODI. England team announced their squad against New Zealand which will be led by Jos Butler.
England red ball Captain returns to the ODI squad after playing his last match against SOuth Africa on 19th July, 2022. Before the World Cup it will give a huge boost to the team and Stokes also played a match winning knock against New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup final.
Harry Brook missed out the ODI squad but got into the T20 squad while Jofra Archer remained out from the squad due to injury. Gus Atkinson will be seen in place of Archer and he might make his debut against New Zealand. New Zealand already announced their squad against the English team.
England National Selector, Luke Wright
Related to the Ben Stokes, he said,
“It wasn’t really a case of changing Stokes' mind. He was always interested in coming back - once he felt like his body was in a good place and he would have a rest. If there was ever someone for a big moment, it’s Ben Stokes. Who better than to have someone like him come back for us? We are all so happy he’s back. It will give the boys in the squad a big lift. At the end of the day, it’s a World Cup that we want to win and we feel like we’ve got more of a chance with Stokes playing than we haven’t.”
Regarding the selection of Stokes over Brook, he added,
“There is no doubting that Brook is somebody we couldn’t think any higher of but in that middle order, with Stokesy coming back as a batter, it does squeeze someone out.”
Jofra Archer unavailability, he said,
“There has got to be a duty of care with Jof. We know how desperate we all are to have him, but we have also got to get it right with him - we see him as a huge asset for the future. So as much as there is a temptation to rush him back and get him in for the start of the World Cup. Unfortunately, we are going to just run out of time.”
Related to the inclusion of Gus Atkinson in the squad, he added,
“Gus deserves to be in there. He is hugely exciting and has been outstanding and not just in the Hundred. He is someone I have been a big fan of for a while. He roughed me up on a few occasions as a player, so when I came into this role he was someone I was keen on. And he has really kicked on this year. He adds that extra pace that everyone is always looking for. He is a real asset and we are delighted to give him an opportunity.”
England ODI squad:
Jos Butler ©, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Jason Roy, David Willey, Reece Topley, Gus Atkinson, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
England T20 squad:
Jos Butler ©, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Gus Atkinson, Ben Duckett, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Rehan Ahmed, Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Will Jacks, John Turner, Luke Wood, Josh Tongue.
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