One of England cricket’s biggest entertainers, Test captain Ben Stokes will remain out of action for a while after the end of the ongoing fifth Ashes 2023 Test at The Oval, London. With 405 runs across nine innings at an average of 45, he will end a marquee five-match series as its third-highest run-scorer.
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One of the talking points of the series will remain his 155-run knock in the second Test at Lord’s, where he threatened to take the game away from Australia’s grasp single-handedly. His innings comprised of nine sixes, the most in an Ashes innings, and his ultimate score was the second highest by an English batter in the fourth innings of an Ashes Test.
Always touted as a “big match player”, he had managed to rewind people’s memories to the flashbacks of Headingley Test played four years ago. With nine wickets down, he scored the remaining 73 runs required for victory all alone (his partner Jack Leach contributed with a score of 1*), to come up with one of the best Test innings of all time. In fact, just the previous month itself, he had played one of the finest ODI knocks by a batter in the final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
Having announced his ODI retirement in July 2022, and with England not set to play another Test this year, the 32-year-old player will likely remain out of international cricketing action for a while.
When Will Ben Stokes Play For England Next?
Ben Stokes is still a crucial part of the English T20I squad. Readers must note that England are scheduled to play a four-match T20I series against New Zealand at home in August-September. Subsequently, they have a five-match T20I in West Indies post ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
It is to be noted that these two above mentioned bilateral T20I series will be the only time Stokes might be seen in England colours this year.
As far as Test cricket is concerned, Stokes will only be seen in action from January 2024 onwards during a much-awaited England’s tour of India. Addressing the reporters in London during the pre-match press conference ahead of the ongoing match, Stokes had revealed that he would be off for a holiday soon after the match while also remarking that the upcoming break will be the longest he has ever had in his career (except during injury periods).
“It is a big break. I think the biggest that I will have had in my whole career, except with injury. You enjoy the periods where you do have a break… but doing this for as long as we have done, you really do miss that environment when you’re around the other lads.”
With him not being available to turn-up for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred Men’s Competition 2023, the “long break” might well mean that he won’t feature during the T20I series against New Zealand.
Will Ben Stokes Come Out Of Retirement For ICC Cricket World Cup 2023?
In a fine nick with the bat for some time now, there were many speculations regarding him making a U-turn on his ODI retirement decision in order to partake in the world event later this year. However, Stokes made it pretty much clear that he has no such plans at all in the same presser.
“I’m retired. I can’t ring myself. There seems little chance of a U-turn.”
With him likely to go off for a holiday, Stokes also revealed that he wishes to have his knee-problem sorted once and for all during this long break as well. The persistent problem has prevented him from bowl on a regular basis, and he might undergo another surgery to his left knee soon.
