England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler maintained that Ben Stokes’s return from ODI retirement was purely the all-rounder’s decision and that the team management took negligible initiative in this regard. Stokes, who had retired from the 50-over format in July 2022, reversed his stance earlier this week and was named in England’s provisional World Cup squad.
It was after the recently-concluded Ashes series that Stokes decided to communicate his decision to Buttler. The England and Wales Cricket Board had (ECB) left the whole matter in the skipper’s hands, given Buttler’s well-known rapport with Stokes. While numerous discussions had reportedly happened between the two, the ball had been left in the all-rounder’s court.
“To be honest, it was Ben’s call,” Buttler said. “You all know Ben pretty well by now – I don’t think anyone talking to him would persuade him.
“We had some conversations quite a while ago about it and just left it to him to come to me, basically, if he wanted to come back. We’re delighted that he feels ready to come back and any time you can welcome him back into the team is great.
“Ben is very much his own man, he makes his own decisions. I’ve played with him for a very long time, I’m good friends with him. Me badgering him and saying ‘come back, come back’ is not really the way things work with Ben. He very much makes up his own mind and decides.
“We had some conversations around it and just left it in his court. I’m sure the lure of playing in a World Cup is quite big for someone as competitive and as driven as he is to play in an England shirt. I’m delighted he felt up to it and could come back.”
Stokes initial ODI retirement last year came with workload management being cited as a major reason. With a recurring knee injury, Stokes was keen to use the break between the Ashes series and England’s next Test assignment (to India) as a period to recharge his batteries. With the retirement officially reversed, Stokes is likely to play as a specialist batter alone, given his fitness concerns.
While his ability to break partnerships with the ball could be a potential miss for England, Stokes’ return does add immeasurable stability to the batting line-up. A pivotal man in their title win four years ago, Stokes’ ability to rise up to big occasions as a batter and in the field will bolster England’s chances of defending their title in India this autumn.
“I don’t think you need me to tell you what Ben Stokes brings to a team,” Buttler said. “It’s fantastic to have Ben back available. Any time a player of his quality is available again is fantastic. We’re delighted to welcome him back.”