England Test skipper Ben Stokes retired form T20I cricket after helping his side win the T20 World Cup 2022. He previously retired from ODI cricket in 2022 but came out to play the ODI World Cup in 2023.
Stokes, however, did not play the T20 World Cup 2024 as he denied breaking his white-ball retirement. Instead, being the Test captain of the side, he decided to invest his time in getting fit from his knee injury.
After completely recovering from his knee injury, Ben Stokes led his side in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe. He is now all set to lead his team in the upcoming Test series against India starting from June 20.
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England Hanging Their Hats On Convincing Ben Stokes - Simon Doull
Meanwhile, England have had a hard time in white-ball cricket since 2023. They did not qualify for the knockouts of the ODI World Cup and had a bleak tournament in the T20 World Cup 2024 as well. Stokes' absence was seen as one of the major reasons why the team management failed to set the right team combination.
However, now former Kiwi pacer and renowned commentator Simon Doull has made a massive statement about Stokes possibly playing in the T20 World Cup 2026. According to him, bringing Stookes back could be a tactical move from England as they can deepen their bowling attack by possibly playing three spinners in Indian conditions.
"I think England might be hanging their hats on convincing Stokes to play in the 2026 T20 World Cup. I'm serious! They fully believe in that dressing room, and in that management group, that they will convince him to play. He then fills that role that means they can go in with two genuine seamers, Stokes and then the spin options they want in the side, which includes Bethell, Jacks, Rashid," Doull said as quoted from Sky Sports.
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England Start Brilliantly Under Harry Brook In White-Ball Cricket
England have had a great start to their white-ball cricket under their new skipper Harry Brook. They won the ODI series 3-0 and now have secured victories in the first two T20Is as well, eyeing another 3-0 cleansweep.
"I've said plenty of times, we have a lot of depth. With small boundaries here, we felt West Indies were under par by about 30 runs. It gives us great confidence knowing we've got Will Jacks, Tom Banton, and Jacob Bethell batting five, six and seven. The top order can go out there all guns blazing," Brook told Sky Sports.
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