Defending champions England is all set to announce the provisional 18-man squad for the ICC World Cup 2023 on Tuesday with key decisions on experience campaigners Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes.
England will play New Zealand in the tournament opener at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on October 5th.
The match will be a repeat of the 2019 World Cup final which England won by the virtue of hitting more boundaries after the match as well as the super over ended in a tie.
England’s white-ball coach Matthew Mott will have a few tough decisions to make, especially with regards to bowler Jofra Archer and all-rounder Ben Stokes.
Talking to Mail Sport, Mott has hinted that he will be looking to utilize the seasoned campaigner Archer considering the amount of international experience the pacer brings to the table.
“There is a high chance that we will take risk on a proven performer that has done it on the world stage. We are planning for him to be available,” Mott told Mail Sport.
“Obviously, a lot of things have to go his way and it will be a tight timeline but with players like that you are going to give them every opportunity to prove their fitness, and so we will keep an open mind,” he added.
As for all-rounder Stokes who retired from one-day internationals 13 months ago, the England coach revealed that captain Jos Butler will try and speak to Stokes in a bid to bring him out of retirement.
“There has not been a clear direction on what he’s going to do yet, but we are still hopeful. I’ve always said his bowling would be a bonus, but just look at what he brings with the bat, even in the field.
“Watching him throughout the whole Ashes series, he had such a great presence. He’s done it for years when it comes to performing in one-day cricket and so he’s an invaluable commodity,” the England coach said.
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