England white ball skipper Jos Buttler has confirmed that the team is planning to go into the World Cup 2023 without star all-rounder Ben Stokes who retired for the ODI format last year. Buttler said Stokes is very aware that his main focus is red-ball cricket as captain.
“The door is always open for a player of that quality but we are also very aware that his main focus is red-ball cricket as the captain,” he said, adding “we leave the door open.”
Team planning without Stokes
However, when asked about this on the eve of the three-match ODI series against South Africa at Bloemfontein on Friday, Buttler said at the moment they are planning without Stokes’s involvement.
“If he wants to change his decision, of course, he’d be welcomed back with open arms but we are very much at the moment planning as if he won’t be available,” Buttler was quoted as saying in a report by mirror.co.uk.
Earlier, England white-ball coach Matthew Mott revealed that the he would like to add Stokes into the team when they defend their title in India later this year.
Buttler excited about Archer
Meanwhile Jos Buttler is also excited about Jofra Archer’s comeback. English captain was thrilled by Archer’s form in the ongoing SA20.
“He’s only just coming back to competitive cricket, this will be his first international game in a long time, and there’s always going to be a level of expectation on Jofra because we all know what he’s capable of. But I’m sure he’s just going to get better and better as he comes back,” Buttler said.
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