Stokes said he would not think about going home before England’s final two group matches, even when their elimination was inevitable.
Even though England’s Test visit to India is scheduled to take place in two and a half months, all-rounder Ben Stokes never entertained the idea of pulling out of the World Cup early to accelerate his planned knee surgery. “The easy way out would have been to go home,” he remarked. Before England lost to Australia by 33 runs in Ahmedabad last week, Stokes declared that he would have surgery later this month to treat the chronic left knee issue that has prevented him from playing as a primary hitter since early July. He believes it will take him five to seven weeks to recover, which means he won’t have much time to recover before his Test team travels to India in January. On January 25, the first of five Tests will begin in Hyderabad.
Stokes said he would not think about going home before England’s final two group matches, even when their elimination was inevitable.
“We’ve never considered quitting early or taking the easy route out just because things haven’t gone as planned. We are a team, and that is how we came here and how we will depart,” Stokes was cited by ESPNcricinfo.
Jos Buttler, the captain of England, said that there hasn’t been any conversation regarding Stokes leaving the team.
It has nothing to do with his style; he is here to compete in the World Cup. It is crucial that we aim to qualify for that Champions Trophy because he wants to be here. He wants to make sure that’s what we strive for,” he continued.
Stokes hit 108 off 84 balls against the Netherlands on Wednesday night in Pune, taking them up to eighth place in the group stage and into the last round of matches. In what will probably be his last World Cup tournament, he scored his first World Cup century.
Due to a hip injury sustained while doing lunges in a hotel gym in Guwahati, Stokes missed England’s opening three World Cup matches. However, he reported that his physical condition got better throughout the competition.
“I’ve taken advantage of the downtime in between games to improve my chances of fully recuperating from the surgery. What you endure out there [on the pitch] is far more intense than any workout you could ever do in the gym. I’m eager to resolve it and stop worrying, as I have for the past eighteen months. In terms of my physical condition, I’ve improved since coming out here. Yet being physically fit and being fit for cricket are two different things,” he remarked.
At the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, the 2019 champions will play Pakistan in the final match of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.
