English all-rounder Ben Stokes is set to potentially make a U-turn on his decision to retire from ODI cricket ahead of the 2023 World Cup in India.
English Head Coach Matthew Mott has hinted about his return ahead of the upcoming Pakistan tour, where Stokes is already on tour playing in the Test series.
"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 said to him he didn't necessarily have to retire, he could just not play 50 overs for a while," Mott said.
Stokes retired from One-Day Internationals after South Africa series in July, seeking Workload management and his ability to perform in the long white ball format. Heย is currently captaining the Test side to Pakistan - the first time England have played red ball cricket in the nation for 17 years.
The 31-year-old showed a glimpse of his expertise in the T20 World Cup Final against Pakistan, where he scored 52* and led his team to the crown as T20 Champions.
Stokes had not played a T20I since March 2021, and given how he performed - 110 runs at an average of 36.66 and six wickets - the consensus is that he could play a similar peripheral role ahead of the 2023 50-over World Cup in India.
Especially given that ODIs are perhaps his best format, with averages of 38.98 and 42.39 (and 74 dismissals) with bat and ball, respectively.
Ben Stokes revealed that ECB Director of Men's Cricket, Rob Key spread the idea of his return into the ODI side, during the training camp in Abu Dhabi last week.
"Keysy pulled me to the side in the UAE and as soon as he said '50-over World Cup' I just walked away," Stokes said in the build up to the first test in Rawalpindi.
"Who knows? At the moment, being out here, my focus is solely on this series (against Pakistan). But it's one of those things. But who knows how I might feel towards a World Cup at the time."
"Going to a World Cup is an amazing thing to do, to represent your country. But at the moment I'm not even thinking about that." he added.
The English Test captain has a lot on his plate in the upcoming months. He is currently leading the English Test side to Pakistan for three tests, followed up by Test series in New Zealand. With his participation in the Indian Premier League, he would be busy in the sub-continent.
The home summer is fully-packed with a one-off-test against Ireland, five tests of Ashes finishing at the end of July and four T20is following up against New Zealand.
Even if Stokes has a change of heart after the summer, he will still be in a position to feature in at least six ODIs, against New Zealand and Ireland, prior to the World Cup.
