Matthew Mott has admitted he is keen to persuade Ben Stokes out of ODI retirement with a 50-over World Cup less than a year away.
Stokes underlined his value to England with a match-defining innings in the T20 World Cup final on Sunday. He also memorably won the player of the match award in the 2019 World Cup final at Lord's.
But he retired from ODI cricket in July citing the "unsustainable" demands of attempting to play three formats.
Now, however, with a 50-over World Cup on the horizon, Mott, England's limited-overs coach, hopes Stokes may reconsider and make himself available for the tournament.
"Am I tempted to ask him back for the 50-over World Cup? Absolutely!" Mott said. "When he spoke to me about his ODI retirement one of the first things I said was that I'd back any decision he made. But I also said to him he didn't necessarily have to retire; he could just not play 50 overs for a while. I did say you could always unretire.
"It's going to be a World Cup year [in 2023] and we don't play much T20 cricket for a while, but it will be a decision that's up to him. The more we can get him, then great. He’' doing an amazing job with the Test captaincy but he is a very big cog in the wheel when he comes back to white-ball.
"We've not talked about it yet. I'll let him dust off [after the T20 World Cup]. He's his own man and he’ll make his own decisions. He'll do what's right for English cricket and he always has.
"That was part of his decision to retire from ODI cricket. He didn't think he could give it his all and credit to him for making that decision because he's such a special commodity for English cricket. We want what's best for the whole system as well."
BEN STOKES: ODI CAREER STATS
- Matches: 105
- Runs: 2,924 (ave 38.98)
- 50s: 21
- 100s: 3
- Wickets: 74 (ave 42.39)
- 5wi: 1
As England's Test captain, the demands upon Stokes are likely to remain substantial in 2023. As well as two Tests in New Zealand in February, England have a Test against Ireland in June followed by a five-match Ashes series which finishes in July. There is also another IPL season to consider and a five-Test series against India at the start of 2024.
But if Stokes was rested from England's T20I plans - and, perhaps, from the IPL and The Hundred - it is possible he could be fresh enough to consider a 50-over comeback. England are scheduled to play four T20Is against New Zealand (between August 20 and September 5) as well as ODI series against New Zealand and Ireland in September. There are also limited-overs tours of South Africa and Bangladesh early in 2023 which Stokes is likely to miss.
"He is a long-term part of the T20 team," Mott said. "When he retired from ODI cricket I thought it was a good decision and the right one being Test captain and having a lot on his plate.
"But I think the T20 format suits him. He's a three-dimensional player and he has so much to offer. In the England team, he is the glue. We have a lot of guys who can take the game on and do extraordinary things, but he was the player you knew that, if he was in at the end of that game [the T20 World Cup final], then you'd win.
"He came in for a bit of criticism in T20 cricket coming into this tournament and he's shown his class. He's a world-class player. He often bowled in the powerplay overs and bowled really well. Even his fielding alone is special. He's obviously carrying a bit of a knee injury at the moment but he throws himself around like he doesn't care and that inspires the group. I can't speak more highly of the way he's been around this group."
While some of England's players flew to Adelaide on Monday to continue their tour with an ODI series against Australia, Stokes will fly to the UAE and prepare for England's Test tour of Pakistan.
Source: The Cricketer
BDST: 1051 HRS, NOV 15, 2022
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