England coach Chris Silverwood insisted that the well-being of Ben Stokes, who has taken an indefinite break from cricket to focus on mental health, remains their top priority.
T20 World Cup is returning after five years, and the teams are starting to finalize their 15-member squads to compete at the world event. There are some serious doubts about whether England will have the services of Ben Stokes.
Before the start of the Test series against India, England all-rounder insisted that he will be taking an indefinite break from the sport to focus on his mental well-being.
England’s head coach Chris Silverwood has given his thoughts on the matter, saying the all-rounder’s well-being remains the top priority.
“We are going to leave that one late, to give it our best chance. Whatever support Ben needs he will get from us,” Silverwood said.
“I haven’t spoken to him just yet because I want to give him as much space as possible, but there are people talking to him outside of me and it is something we will be revisiting shortly.
The England and Wales Cricket Board are expected to announce the squad soon, but Silverwood asserted that they will not push Stokes or rush him to make a decision.
“But I will not be putting pressure on him, will not be rushing him and whatever support he needs he will get. First and foremost my only concern is for him and making sure he’s OK. Once we’ve got to that, the rest of the questions will come,”
The T20 World Cup will take place in the UAE and Oman, starting from October 17 and concluding with the final at Dubai on November 14. The West Indies are the defending champions, with Eoin Morgan’s England touted as one of the favourites to win the tournament.
However, England have had to deal with a few major blows. The premier pacer Jofra Archer will not be available for the marquee event as he’s been ruled out for several months due to a recurring elbow injury. With Stokes likely to miss as well, their WC campaign could take a big hit.
While Stokes hasn’t particularly had a great T20 career, he’s still the heart of the England team. He is someone that can win you matches on his own and share the fifth bowler’s quota of overs.
Stokes has 2865 runs in his T20 career at an average of 24.91 and strike rate of 135.07, while picking 86 wickets at an economy of 8.52.
The 30-year-old last played for England in July, when he captained the second string team in the ODI series against Pakistan, with the primary squad having to isolate. Stokes had taken time-off then to recover from an injury but had to come early for the series because of the unprecedented circumstances.
His last competitive match came playing for Northern Superchargers on July 26 against Trent Rockets in The Hundred league.
The England Test team is currently competing in the five-match series against India and are trailing by 1-2 with one match to go. The absence of Stokes can be clearly felt in both the batting and bowling department as they head into Old Trafford (Manchester) to avoid a second consecutive series loss at home.
