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Retirement ka to mazak hi bna diya' - Fans react as Ben Stokes set to come out of ODI retirement ahead of World Cup 2023 

England's star all-rounder Ben Stokes is reportedly set to come out of ODI retirement ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

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Ben Stokes (Source: Twitter)

In a major boost to England's hopes of retaining their ODI World Cup, star all-rounder Ben Stokes is reportedly set to come out of retirement for the marquee event, which is scheduled to be held in India during October-November. According to The Telegraph, the 32-year-old, who announced his retirement from the 50-over format in July 2022, has agreed to take a U-turn, but it will come at the cost of missing the Indian Premier League 2024 season.

Stokes was one of the flag bearers for England's first-ever ODI World Cup win in 2019. The southpaw's crucial 84 off 98 balls in the final against New Zealand helped the team finish the match in a tie, which the hosts later went on to win in the Super Over via the boundary count rule.

"Ben Stokes is prepared to make a sensational U-Turn and reverse his one-day international retirement to help England's World Cup defence in India this year, even if it means missing out on next season's Indian Premier League. The England Test captain now appears willing to play World Cup if he is asked by white-ball captain Jos Buttler," reads a report in the British daily.

Stokes expected to undergo a knee surgery at some point

The reason why Stokes is willing to drop his commitment to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is the five-match Test series in India, which will start towards the end of January and end in May. This means that if the England red-ball captain decides to play in the IPL, he will have to spend around five months in India. Stokes is also planning to undergo knee surgery as the upcoming IPL season is the best time to not interfere with his national duties.

"While concern lingers over Stokes's knee which might require operation at some stage, Telegraph Sport understands that he would be prepared to miss next season's IPL if he needed a gap in his schedule to help him recover," the paper added.

The report comes a day after England's white-ball coach Matthew Mott revealed that limited-overs captain Jos Buttler will speak to Stokes to convince him to play in the World Cup. “There has not been a clear direction on what he’s going to do yet, but we are still hopeful. I’ve always said his bowling would be a bonus, but just look at what he brings with the bat, even in the field,” he said.

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