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England have been dealt with a huge blow ahead of the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup. Their key all-rounder Ben Stokes has opted out of the selection for the mega event. He was one of the key members to help England win the final of the last edition against Pakistan. But Stokes has decided not to play this time around as he aims to get fully fit for the home summer.
For the unversed, Stokes has a troubled knee and only bowled in the fifth and final Test against India for the first time in around 11 months. However, now he wants to regain full fitness to make himself available as an all-rounder for England. Stokes himself admitted that he wants to return as an all-rounder across all formats of the game and will feature for Durham in the County Championship before the start of international summer. He had also opted out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) just before the auction due to his knee injury.
“I’m working hard and focusing on building my bowling fitness back up to fulfil a full role as an all-rounder in all formats of cricket. Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future. The recent Test tour of India highlighted how far behind I was from a bowling point of view after my knee surgery and nine months without bowling. I’m looking forward to playing for Durham in the County Championship before the start of our Test summer. I wish Jos, Motty and all the team the best of luck in defending our title,” Stokes said.
England are drawn in Group B in the T20 World Cup alongside Australia, Scotland, Namibia and Oman. They will begin their title defence against Scotland on June 4 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados and then will face the arch-rivals Australia on June 8 at the same venue.
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