'Pick me You've to Make Decision on Basis of me Not Bowling': Ben Stokes on Chat With Jos Buttler Before ODI Retirement U-Turn

Premier England all-rounder Ben Stokes opened up on his ODI retirement u-turn for the upcoming ODI World Cup. Stokes, who announced his retirement from ODI last year, has been picked in England’s squad for the upcoming mega ICC event which will be played in India this October-November.

Stokes played a crucial role in England’s triumph in the 2019 ODI World Cup as he played a crucial 84-run knock in the final against New Zealand to help his team lift the trophy for the first time.

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The star all-rounder revealed that nobody put pressure on him to make a call regarding reversing his retirement decision.

“The nice thing was there wasn’t any pressure put on me to make a decision quickly. Having a chance to play in another World Cup is great, but going there as world champions and trying to retain it is something that was quite appealing to me,” Stokes told BBC Sport.

The England Test captain said that he told white-ball skipper Jos Buttler that he wouldn’t be available to bowl in the tournament before taking the decision, to which the wicketkeeper batter didn’t take much time and agreed to play Stokes as a pure batter.

“I had to tell Jos that if you want to make that decision and pick me you have to make that decision on the basis of me not bowling a ball out there. I was very clear with where I’m at with my body and what I felt I can offer the team. It was nice to know from Jos that he didn’t think to long that, even if I am just there as a batter, he’d pick me,” he added.

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That fitness issue meant the all-rounder did not bowl at all during the last three Tests of the 2023 Ashes series at home to Australia.

Stokes further shed light on the tight competition in the England cricket to get a place in the World Cup squad.

“If there is a competition for places and there is pressure on individuals to perform to get their spot, that’s a sign you’re in a very, very good team. You don’t want selections to be easy, because then you know your strength in depth isn’t as strong as other teams. It’s a healthy place to be in as a team when everyone has a little bit of pressure to perform before the final World Cup squad gets announced,” he added.