Ben Stokes ends retirement U-turn speculation with two-word statement on England comeback for ODI World Cup

Ben Stokes had retired from the ODIs in 2022 and the speculations over his potential return to format gathered pace after his match-winning outing in T20 WC.

Ben Stokes and his England Test team faced a heartbreak last week when the fourth Ashes Test was washed out in Manchester. The result meant England failed to retain the urn, with Australia already leading 2-1. The washout came as a harsh blow to Stokes and co. as they were the more dominant side throughout the Manchester Test, still leading by 61 runs in the second innings with fiv Aussie wickets remaining when the downpour ensured no further play in the Test.

Ben Stokes during the T20 World Cup in 2022 (Getty)

Regardless, England will be aiming to end the series on a high when both sides return for the final Test of the series at The Oval; however, their captain Stokes dropped a remark that might seem unsurprising, but nevertheless be a dampener for England fans. Over the past few months, reports in the English media had suggested that Stokes might incline on making a U-turn on his ODI retirement and make himself available for selection in the 2023 World Cup, scheduled to take place in India.

The murmurs over Stokes' potential comeback in ODI picked pace after the all-rounder's match-winning performance in the T20 World Cup final last year against Pakistan. In fact, Stokes had himself refused to confirm on whether he would take the U-turn, although not denying the possibility.

“… 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,” Stokes had said in November last year.

However, the England Test captain has seemingly made up his mind now, confirming that he remains retired from the format and will, in fact, take a break after the Ashes series.

"I'm retired," Stokes reiterated, as quoted by the ICC.

"I'm going on holiday after this game and that's as far as I'm thinking."

This year, Stokes also hurt his knee during a Test against New Zealand and managed to play just two matches for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. He also didn't bowl in the two of the four Ashes Tests so far; both being the latest. Has the injury played a part in Stokes' decision to remain retired from ODIs?

"It's something I obviously want to get sorted," Stokes said.

“The times in which I've seen specialists and stuff like that there has been cricket around. So, as it's been manageable, we've just cracked on.”

The final Test of the Ashes series begins on July 27.