What was reported in the English press has come true. Ben Stokes has been included in the provisional squad for the 50-over World Cup. It has thus been established that as reported, Stokes is prepared to come out of his ODI retirement to help England defend their title.
Bazball exponent Harry Brook and pacer Jofra Archer, however, are not in the squad. Archer will be a travelling reserve, however.
Stokes had found playing three formats “unsustainable”, and had therefore quit ODIs in 2022. The alllrounder’s presence, selector Luke Wright feels, will add to England's "match-winning ability".
The 32-year-old Stokes will begin his preparations for the big event with the four-match ODI series against New Zealand in September. The 15 selected for that tour formed the provisional World Cup squad, Wright said.
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"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," Wright said in a statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
The right-arm quick Gus Atkinson, 25, has got his maiden international call-up.
Wright said the omission of Brook proved the depth of talent in England cricket. The quick-scoring batter is the fastest player to compete 1,000 Test runs on a per-ball basis, taking just 1,058 deliveries to reach the milestone. Yet he was nott in the World Cup squad.
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"It's incredibly hard on some players that are going to miss out. It shows the strength and depth we have in English cricket and there are other names who are knocking on the door as well," Wright said. "With the balance of the squad, and with only fifteen that you can name it's incredibly tough."
The ICC has set September 5 as the deadline for teams to send their provisional squads. Changes can be made till September 28.
England's provisional World Cup squad: 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.
