Matthew Mott, the coach of England, wants Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer to be part of the team that goes to India for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Ben Stokes stopped playing One Day Internationals in July 2022. After the Ashes, he said again that he planned to stay out of 50-over matches so he could be ready for the Test series against India in early 2024.
Stokes hurt his knee in February while he was in New Zealand. He missed most of the Indian Premier League season because of this. Even though he was ready to lead England in the Ashes, he mostly just batted because of the illness and only bowled 29 overs over five games.
Still, Stokes has shown over and over again how valuable he is as a skilled hitter. Matthew Mott, England’s coach for white-ball cricket, is open to putting him on the World Cup team based only on how well he bats.
Matthew Mott said, “Jos will probably be in charge of that communication, but Ben is pretty honest with all of us.” “Let’s see if he’s interested.
“He hasn’t told us exactly what he’s going to do yet, but we’re still optimistic. I’ve always said that his throwing would be a plus, but just look at what he brings with the bat and in the field.
“He had such a great personality the whole time I watched the Ashes series. He has been doing well in one-day cricket for a long time, so he is a useful asset.’
Ben Stokes was one of England’s stars in the 2019 World Cup. His unbeaten 84 in the Final earned him the Player of the Match award.
Jofra Archer was the other star of the Final. He was the one who bowled the important Super Over. Archer’s success in cricket has gone downhill because he has been hurt too many times.
Good news about a star player gives England a boost for the World Cup.
England fans got some good news when Sussex coach Paul Farbrace said that Archer was “on track” to be ready for the World Cup.
Matthew Mott said that England is ready to take a chance on Archer’s health for the World Cup by keeping an eye on how much he plays.
Mott said, “There’s a good chance we’ll take a chance on a proven performer [like Archer] who has done it on the world stage.”
“We expect that he will be ready. Obviously, a lot of things have to go his way, and it will be a tight schedule, but with players like that, you give them every chance to prove their health, so we will keep an open mind.’
“It would be hard for him to play every game, so we would have to pick specific ones. But India is big on ball speed, which we think is a really important asset to have out there, and it will be good to see Mark Wood, who was so important in the Ashes, do the same with the white ball.”
On October 5, England and New Zealand will play at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This will be a repeat of the 2019 World Cup Final.