(Reuters) -England all-rounder Ben Stokes has decided to not participate in this year’s Twenty20 World Cup in order to concentrate on getting back to full fitness ahead of the test fixtures scheduled for the summer, as stated by the country’s cricket board (ECB) on Tuesday.
Having emerged victorious in the T20 World Cup in 2022 in Australia, England will not be able to rely on Stokes this time around.
The ECB elaborated that Stokes’s main goal is to recover completely in terms of his bowling capabilities before the test series against West Indies and Sri Lanka.
Following a knee surgery in November, Stokes had been facing difficulties with regular bowling, prompting him to put his focus on regaining his full bowling fitness.
In a statement, Stokes, who serves as England’s test captain, remarked, “I’m dedicating myself to enhancing my bowling fitness levels to be able to play the role of an all-rounder in all formats of the game.”
By choosing to skip the IPL and the T20 World Cup, Stokes hopes that this sacrifice will contribute to his long-term goal of being the kind of all-rounder he aspires to be.
The upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup is slated to be held in the West Indies and the United States in June.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Alex Richardson and Toby Davis)
