Over the past two days leading up to England’s World Cup match against Bangladesh, Ben Stokes has not appeared quite like himself. After missing the New Zealand game due to a hip injury, he has participated in two rounds of extensive net sessions, which is encouraging, but he is still not fully healthy. With his captain Jos Buttler virtually ruling him out of Tuesday’s game, the big left-hander has appeared a little stiff and restricted in his movements. “It’s good to see him back in the nets and building back towards full fitness but probably unlikely for tomorrow,” Buttler stated on Monday.
The defending champions of England are missing the star all-rounder dearly right now and will continue to do so until the day he is fully fit again, according to former captain Eoin Morgan. England enters the game coming off a defeat and may find a Stokes-sized hole in the lineup unsettling.
“Without doubt, you want to see Ben back as soon as possible,” Morgan stated. “Once more, keep in mind that the tournament lasts six and a half weeks, and you don’t necessarily win it in the first few. And you might not win it with just one player. How much Ben contributes in the locker room and how much he improves the players around him is something we are unable to quantify and are constantly asking about. That is the contribution that, in my opinion, was somewhat missed in Ahmedabad and will undoubtedly be felt in every other game until he is available.
Only last July did Stokes announce his retirement from the 50-over game, claiming that he couldn’t play in all three formats while also captaining the team in the hardest one (Tests). Stokes changed his mind and decided to play in the unquestionably greatest World Cup final of all time in August of this year to try to defend the title he so expertly won for England in 2019. Morgan frequently praised Stokes’ potential impact and the benefits of having a player who has “already crossed the finish line.”
Morgan responded when asked if Stokes could have the same impact in 2023 as he did in 2019. “Even more so, I’d say,” Morgan said. “Because he consistently provides for the team when they need him. When you play with a guy who has successfully completed the race on numerous occasions and who speaks in straight sentences rather than riddles, there is a lot of belief and confidence in that. It is real. It’s great to play with him because I was there and saw him do it.
Morgan also lavished praise on Jonny Bairstow, another of his 2019 World Cup champions. For England’s tough-as-nails opener, the match against Bangladesh will mark his 100th ODI.
“Jonny has long set the bar for how a strong cricketing team should perform, at least in my early days as captain. You want men knocking on the door and pestering the players in that starting XI with questions all the time, Morgan said.
It should be difficult to get accepted, and this complicates the selection process. Jonny performed admirably in that capacity for about a year and a half, coming in irregularly. It served as a reminder for me to believe in and encourage men who are in that position to keep fighting.
His position at the top of the food chain with Jason (Roy) began around 2017, and they have both been outstanding. Even though they were both very powerful cricketers, they complemented one another incredibly well. It’s incredible that he has played that way for 100 games, Morgan said.
Even though the Bangladesh game will be special, it will also be significant for England, who lost to New Zealand in their opening match in a rather demoralizing fashion.
“If you had to sit back and watch it [the New Zealand game] again, you might say that they were quite tentative in their approach to playing aggressively. There wasn’t quite the clinical element that we’ve grown accustomed to in recent games.
“I’ve been listening to some of the comments he (Buttler) made today and he acknowledged how well New Zealand played but also that it was much more important the way they played rather than always looking at the opposition. Therefore, it was a bit of a shock to me not only how the conditions changed but also how much better New Zealand was than England despite the changes.
Morgan also has some knowledge of how challenging their next opponent can be in World Cups, but he supported England to win in circumstances that he believed would favor them more.
No matter where you play them, they (Bangladesh) are a difficult team to play against. I do believe that England will benefit from these conditions more so than Bangladesh,” Morgan said.
“There was just a little bit more bounce the other day. It wasn’t necessarily fast bounce, but the little bit more bounce might be good for England seamers and lessen Bangladesh’s strength a little bit. I am aware that their spinners dominated Afghanistan, but that was simply a strategy they used to build pressure. They performed incredibly well, and the ball didn’t turn much. You might assume that, if true, would allow England to play to their advantages more so than Bangladesh, in his opinion.