«I want to play like a true all-rounder next summer,» he said. Ben Stokes said: Photo: Getty Images/Ben Hoskins
Ben Stokes admitted he «may not be able» to continue subjecting his body to the demands of being an all-rounder after this year's Ashes, but now he has a «plan that he will return to bowling next summer.
Test captain Stokes will make his first ODI appearance in 14 months against New Zealand in Cardiff on Friday after coming out of retirement to play in the World Cup football, but he talked about the «retirement» he suffered after a dramatic draw with Australia just over a month ago.
The 32-year-old, who will play the entire tournament as the number 4 pro batsman with knee tendonitis that has prevented him from bowling in four of England's six Tests this summer, admitted he was frustrated by injury towards the end of the Ashes and wondered if he had the energy and desire to be more of an all-rounder because he was «bored» when he wasn't bowling.
«I'll be doing more intense work until next summer to make sure I give myself as many chances as possible to play the next two to three years as an all-rounder,» he said. “You have different thoughts. At the end of Ashes, when I had another difficult series with the ball, my knee hurts, I can't put up with it anymore, it's just too hard. But then you pull away from it and keep moving on, giving yourself the best chance to do it. I get bored in the field when I'm not a bowler.»
Having overcome the emotions of the «exhausting» series, he had conversations with specialists who gave him confidence that he would return to bowling by next summer. Stokes did not reveal the exact details of his plan, but said there was «potential» to have the surgery after the World Cup. More than two months will pass between the final of this tournament and England's first test in India in January. He explained that a «very good plan», which could include surgery for a chronic knee injury between the World Cup and the January test tour of India, would allow him to resume full-time work as an all-arounder in 2024.
«There's going to be quite a long break after the World Cup, actually,» Stokes said. “We have a good period after the end of the World Cup and then a tour of India at the end of January.
“I had some good conversations with some specialists, rehabilitators and physiotherapists. , surgeons, guys who know what they're doing. There is a plan. I know what's going to happen, I just don't think it's the right time to say what I'm doing.
“When we do what we have to do to give ourselves a chance to become a true all-rounder again, there will come a time when I can say what I do. We have a very good plan, the medical team has done a brilliant job of listening to different opinions.
“It's nice to know that after the World Cup we have something, a really good plan that we can implement and we can stick to. I want to play next summer like a true all-rounder. This winter we have to play in the World Championship and then deal with this knee.”
Stokes also said the temptation to help England defend the world title he was so important in securing in 2019 was too strong to resist. He will not be interested in the opportunity to play in the Indian Premier League next year, where he has a contract with the Chennai Super Kings worth around £1.6m, or the T20 World Cup next year. Instead, he looks forward to participating in England's fight to become back-to-back World Champions.
Stokes said that when he retired from ODI last summer, he did not think he would return to the tournament, but there were conversations backstage with Whiteball team captain Jos Buttler and coach Matthew Mott for six months.
«This was a conversation that continues with Jos and Motty. We kept it a secret and just caught up along the way. When you think about it from a personal point of view, we won the World Cup in 2019 and the closer and closer it got I start to think differently about it and going to India and trying to defend the World Cup was a big reason to say «I'm available for selection if you want me to come.»
«To go there as world champions and try to keep that title was really very attractive.
» The words «World Cup» are very inspiring. Entering this tournament as world champions and taking part in it in 2019 was an incredible moment for us as a team and for me. The idea of participating and potentially being able to win back-to-back world championships was one of the most important things.”
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