Cricket Cricket

'Khelna hi nahi tha to retirement wapis liya kyu' - Fans react as Ben Stokes likely to miss England's second World Cup match against Bangladesh

Ben Stokes also missed England's ODI World Cup 2023 campaign opener against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, October 5.

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Mathew K
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Ben Stokes (File Photo, Twitter)

Ben Stokes (File Photo, Twitter)

In a blow for England, veteran all-rounder Ben Stokes is likely to miss England’s second ODI World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh. England will take on Bangladesh in the 7th match of the tournament at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. On Tuesday, October 10. Earlier, Jos Buttler’s men lost their campaign opener against New Zealand by a big margin of 9 wickets.

Ben Stokes couldn’t make it to the playing XI in the first match as well due to a sore hip and he is still nursing the same. The England management could field the pacer Reece Topley in the playing XI while going ahead in the match against Bangladesh, who are already coming off with a win of 6 wickets in their first match against Afghanistan.

"He was progressing well… he is doing more and more each day and seems to be improving, so it is a good sign,” said England skipper Jos Buttler to BBC.

"Building back towards full fitness, but he's probably unlikely for tomorrow." - Jos Buttler on Ben Stokes

However, Buttler also cleared stance over Stokes’ inclusion in the playing XI for the second match against Bangladesh.

“It's good to see him back in the nets and building back towards full fitness, but he's probably unlikely for tomorrow,” said Buttler during the pre-match press conference on Monday.

“The words 'World Cup' are pretty inspiring. The idea of going in and potentially being able to win back-to-back World Cups was one of the big things,” he added later.

Furthermore, the Three Lions captain also spoke about who will be there in the playing XI in the absence of Ben Stokes. He was also asked if England would go ahead with an extra seamer in the contest against Bangladesh.

"It's definitely an option. I played here in the IPL just gone, and there can be some good pace and bounce in the wicket. So certainly, we'll have those discussions and we've got fantastic options within the squad to pick different line-ups with a different balance. It's something we'll consider.,” he said. 

Here’s how fans reacted to Ben Stokes’ reported absence in the match against Bangladesh:

ODI World Cup 2023 England Ben Stokes