LONDON — England cricket icon Ben Stokes will not participate in the Champions Trophy scheduled for February and March due to an ongoing injury.
Stokes, who captains the test team, has been absent from one-day internationals since the 2023 World Cup. He previously expressed his willingness to return to the ODI format following Brendon McCullum’s appointment as head coach for all formats in September.
Unfortunately, the 33-year-old player faced a setback with a hamstring issue during the recent test series in New Zealand, leading to his omission from the 15-member squad announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board on Sunday.
Stokes had already missed England’s home series against Sri Lanka last summer and the opening test of a three-match series against Pakistan in the autumn due to similar hamstring injuries.
In more positive news, Joe Root has rejoined the squad after spending over a year away from the international white-ball scene. Jos Buttler also makes a comeback as captain after missing the most recent ODI series in the West Indies.
Sam Curran, Will Jacks, and Reece Topley have been left out of the squad after failing to assert their positions during the Caribbean tour.
Jofra Archer has successfully shown that he is fit to play and has been included, along with fellow seamer Saqib Mahmood, who despite limited appearances, has also made the cut.
The squad is set to compete in five T20 internationals and three ODIs in India before heading to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.
Spinner Rehan Ahmed will participate in the initial T20 segment but will withdraw afterward, while Root will only join the team when the ODI phase begins in India.
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English squad:
Jos Buttler (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt, Mark Wood.
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