Ben Stokes has World Cup injury fears — but it could work in Harry Brook's favor

Ben Stokes will be assessed after his final training session on Wednesday in Ahmedabad. Photo: ICC/Matt Roberts

Ben Stokes is a serious injury doubt for the World Cup opener against New Zealand, with Harry Brook ready to come on at No. 4 if he is ruled out.

Stokes, who made 84 not out and was man of the match when England won the 2019 World Cup final over New Zealand at Lord's is very picky. The injury occurred before England's final training session under the lights of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Carefully making his way down the steps, Stokes did not participate in the on-field training or batting in the nets, but instead stretched out on the outfield while Brook carried out an extensive training session in the nets. Although Stokes has a history of battling pain and concerns about his fitness, the lengthy group stage — with each team playing nine matches before the semi-finals — means England will be reluctant to risk his participation in the remainder of the tournament.< /p> Ben Stokes may miss the first match of the World Cup in England. Photo: AFP/Sajid Hussain

«He's got a little twitch in his thigh,» captain Jos Buttler said. “But fingers crossed that it will be good news for us. Let's see. He is working hard with the physiotherapists.

“We will make the right choice. If it's not playable, it's not playable. If yes, then we can accept this decision. Now is not the time to risk anyone at the start of the tournament. Towards the end you might take more risks with people getting injured, but it will be a long tournament.”

Butler on title defence: I want to attack… I don't like the word 'defence'

On the eve of the first game of the tournament at the 120,000-capacity Modi Stadium, Buttler vowed England would attack in their title defence.

“We don’t “defend” anything. I guess I don't like this word. I want us to attack, so I don't like the word 'defend'.

Buttler urged fans to dream of an unprecedented third World Cup triumph in four years, saying the team will remain true to the aggressive style that brought victory at the One-Day International World Cup and last year's T20 World Cup.

“We’re all dreamers and we all want to be able to say these things,” he said. “The most important thing is that we know that we are a team that likes to be in a position where things are expected of us. This is a wonderful place. I'd rather be there than with an unpopular team that no one thinks has a chance.»

Jos Buttler became the first England captain to win the World Cup… can he do it again in India? Photo: Getty Images/Clive Mason

“We like to have those expectations. This is a great place for an English sports team, the fans expect good results from you and we will do everything possible for the fans at home and for those who survive here.

“Style brought the essence, I think. If we stick to this principle at the start of the tournament and throughout the tournament, it will give us the best chance of building on these results.»

Despite a period of change in the world game, Buttler said the ODI World Cup remains the most coveted the trophy of all.

“Seeing that trophy again, all the plaques of the different teams around it — It has a great history,” he said.

“I think the history and legacy of the tournament still rings true. The landscape of cricket is changing, of course, bilateral cricket has its challenges, but coming here to India, which is the No. 1 cricket destination in the world and is the ODI World Cup, is certainly encouraging.»

The tournament will see Buttler face a new challenge: for the first time at a global event, in-game penalties have been introduced for slow over-rates in an attempt to speed up the pace of play.

The rule is that if each fielding team falls short of the scheduled end of the innings, they must post an additional fielder inside the 30-yard hoop. For example, if a team has completed only 48 overs at the end of its allotted time, the last two overs must be bowled with only four fielders outside the crease, creating more gaps for batsmen to reach boundaries.

Brook's place in the squad allows England flexibility class='tmg-particle embed wrp-9b3c87b9-4298-47e5-88ad-2a7b1c bba001' name='Ash analysis: Tim Wigmore' data-truncated='false' data-business-type='editorial' loading='eager' scroll='no'frameborder='0' style='width: 100%; min-width: 100%; border: none; position: static; display: block; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;'>

The concern over Stokes illustrates why England decided to include Brook in the World Cup final squad instead of Jason Roy. While Roy has only ever played for England in ODI cricket, Brook has the flexibility to bat anywhere in the top six. If Stokes does not play against New Zealand, Brook, who has played just six ODI matches at an average of 20.50, will replace him at number 4.

While the absence of Stokes, who has called off his ODI retirement, the order's return to the competition would be a major blow, Brook's emergence in his position would minimize disruption to the team. If Roy had been the reserve batsman, he would most likely have been selected to open, with Dawid Malan moving to three and Joe Root to four, which would mean three changes to the batting line-up rather than one.

But Stokes' absence will still have a significant impact on England's squad for the match against New Zealand. Along with Malan, Stokes is one of two left-handers in England's top six. With New Zealand likely to field at least one left-arm spinner Rachin Ravindra and leg spinner Ish Sodhi along with Mitchell Santner, another left-arm spinner, the Black Caps will have at least 20 overs of spin taking ball from the right hand. peddlers. To foil their plans, England could promote a left-handed all-rounder — Moeen Ali or Sam Curran — up the order and attack pattern.

There are no larger concerns about Stokes' participation in the tournament at this stage. . But if he misses the tournament matches, it will force England to be flexible in their squad composition as they only have 15 players. England selected six professional bowlers after recognizing the importance of pace and the likelihood that some of their fast bowlers, especially Mark Wood and Chris Woakes, may need to be rested from time to time.