Ben Stokes Misses Yet Another World Cup 2023 Game For England

During a press conference, Joe Root mentioned that Stokes was steadily improving, but he did not reveal whether the all-rounder would feature in the match against Afghanistan.

Ben Stokes in action. ( Image Source :Getty )

Ben Stokes continues to remain absent from the England starting lineup, marking his third consecutive absence in the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 campaign, notably against Afghanistan in Delhi on Sunday.

Stokes, who played a pivotal role in England's thrilling victory in the 2019 World Cup final, was sidelined for the opening match against New Zealand due to a hip injury. This injury also forced him to miss England's second match, where they secured a convincing 137-run win over Bangladesh.

Initially, Stokes had retired from ODIs, but he reversed that decision to participate in England's title defence at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. His stunning return was marked by a remarkable 182-run performance against New Zealand in an ODI win in September. However, on the eve of the tournament, he encountered a hip issue, which confined him to the sidelines for the first two games. Despite this setback, there were positive signs of his recovery leading up to England's encounter with Afghanistan.

During a press conference, Joe Root mentioned that Stokes was steadily improving, but he did not reveal whether the all-rounder would feature in the match against Afghanistan.

"Ben seems to be getting better day by day, he's trained really well, he's had a bat, and seems to be improving," Root stated.

However, Jos Buttler confirmed that Stokes would remain absent from the lineup, as they opted to stick with an unchanged team that secured victory against Bangladesh. England won the toss and chose to field first in today’s contest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

Afghanistan was put into bat after England won the toss and got off to a rapid start, reaching 79 for no wickets in the initial 10 overs. At one point, they seemed poised to set a target exceeding 300 runs, but consecutive wickets in the 19th over disrupted the momentum their openers had built. They ultimately finished their innings with 284 runs on the board, bowled out with just one ball to spare.