England received a massive boost ahead of their World Cup game against South Africa as Ben Stokes is back in the team. The southpaw suffered a hip niggle and missed three games for England against New Zealand, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. England badly missed their talisman as they endured two heavy defeats against NZ and Afghanistan.
With the back against the walls, England will yet again bank on Stokes’s magic to get their WC campaign back on track. For the unversed, the all-rounder was sent a SOS ahead of the WC to come out of the ODI retirement. Stokes’s comeback ODI series was against England. A lot was expected from him in the WC.
Also Read
- World Cup 2023 Squads
- World Cup Jerseys of all 10 teams
- World Cup 2023 Points Table
- Most Runs in WC 2023
- Most Wickets in WC 2023
However, a hip niggle put those plans to bed. Not only his absence affected England’s batting, but it also affected the bowling. It is still not clear whether Stokes would be able to bowl against South Africa.
Ben Stokes in as England aim to bounce back
With two losses, the defending champions England are off to a shaky start, their ever-so-realible aggressive style of play has so far backfired, as teams have come up with s solid plan to tackle England. For instance, New Zealand stacked their attack with batting depth in their first game against England in WC.
Afghanistan used the math-ups well to counter England’s batting depth. While Stokes’s presence would uplift the batting, England won’t take the risk of bowling his quota of overs. Both England and South Africa are coming off losses and will be hoping to bounce back.
Editor's Pick
Cricket
IPL 2025 starts on March 14, dates for next two seasons also out
Top Stories
KL Rahul's vigil comes to a"controversial" end, third umpire makes hasty decision after bat hits pad
