Ben Stokes might come out of ODI retirement - report

England's World Cup 2019 star Ben Stokes is most likely to come out of ODI retirement before this year's world event. 

The Telegraph, on Tuesday, reported that Stokes is prepared to come out of retirement to aid England's cricket World Cup title defence. 

Stokes, who took retirement from ODI cricket in 2022 citing workload issues, played an important role in England's maiden World Cup victory. The all-rounder was named player-of-the-match in the final against New Zealand.

"Three formats are just unsustainable for me now. Not only do I feel that my body is letting me down because of the schedule and what is expected of us, but I also feel that I am taking the place of another player who can give Jos and the rest of the team their all," he had said at the time of his retirement decision. 

It must be noted here that Stokes is currently suffering from a knee injury. He didn't bowl in the last three matches of the recently concluded Ashes Test series. If he returns to ODI cricket, he is most likely to play as a specialist batter in the World Cup. 

Earlier, speaking to Daily Mail, England's white-ball head coach Matthew Mott said that he would try and tempt Stokes out of retirement for the competition. 

"There has not been a clear direction on what he’s going to do yet, but we are still hopeful," he had said. "I’ve always said his bowling would be a bonus, but just look at what he brings with the bat, even in the field. Watching him throughout the whole Ashes series, he had such a great presence. He’s done it for years when it comes to performing in one-day cricket and so he’s an invaluable commodity."

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