England star all-rounder Ben Stokes has chosen not to participate in the T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to take place later this year in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA). In a statement released by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on April 2 (Tuesday), the seasoned player expressed his intention to focus on enhancing his fitness and fulfilling his responsibilities as a key all-rounder for the England team across all three formats of the game.
Stokes, who restricted his bowling to the fifth and concluding Test match of the recent India vs England Test series in Dharamsala, aims to achieve complete fitness to bowl not just for the upcoming three-match Test series against West Indies and Sri Lanka, but also for all future cricket engagements as per the ECB statement.
“The England Test captain’s primary focus is to get fully fit to bowl not only for the summer of Test cricket, which includes two three-match Test series’ against West Indies and Sri Lanka respectively, but for all cricket in the future,” says the statement released by the ECB.
Ben Stokes Sacrifices IPL & T20 World Cup To Achieve Full Fitness
Ben Stokes stated that he is dedicating himself to rebuilding his bowling fitness to effectively serve as an all-rounder across all formats of cricket. By opting out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the World Cup, he hopes this sacrifice will enable him to fulfil his aspirations of being an all-rounder for the ‘foreseeable future.’
“I’m working hard and focusing on building my bowling fitness back up to fulfil a full role as an all-rounder in all formats of cricket. Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future,“ said Ben Stokes as per the ECB statement.
“The recent Test tour of India highlighted how far behind I was from a bowling point of view after my knee surgery and nine months without bowling. I’m looking forward to playing for Durham in the County Championship before the start of our Test summer. I wish Jos, Motty and all the team the best of luck in defending our title," Stokes added.