In what could be a huge blow to England ahead of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 opener, star all-rounder Ben Stokes looks doubtful for the match against New Zealand. The same was confirmed by captain Jos Buttler at the pre-match press conference. The tournament opener is set to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 5.
"We've been nursing a few guys over the last month or so. Hopefully we'll have a clean bill of health to pick from. He (Stokes) got a slight sort of niggle with his hip, but fingers crossed that that'll be good news for us. He's working hard with the physios and we'll know more when the guys arrive for training today," Buttler told the reporters.
"Whether he (Stokes) is not fit to play, he's not fit to play. If he is, then we can make that decision. But it's not a time to take big risks on someone at the start of the tournament. Nearer the end, maybe do take more of a risk with people's injuries. But, yeah, it's going to be a long tournament," he added.
Meanwhile, New Zealand too will be without the services of some of their key players with regular skipper Kane Williamson already ruled out while speedster Tim Southee also not available for selection for the first match. In Williamson's absence, Tom Latham will lead the team and addressed the media at the pre-match presser.
"He (Southee) is unavailable for selection just in terms of what happened to his thumb a couple of weeks ago, but he's recovering nicely," Latham said.
"I think he's nearly two weeks post-surgery so fingers crossed he can keep recovering. It's a bit of a day-by-day process with him in terms of what that looks like too. But fingers crossed he'll be available sooner rather than later as well," he added.