04 October 2023 , 11:34
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Ben Stokes could miss England’s opening match of the World Cup with a hip injury after Jos Buttler admitted he wouldn’t be taking undue risks at the start of the tournament.
Stokes did not feature in the only warm-up match England played in Guwahati against Bangladesh as he iced the area at the top of his left hip, confident that the niggle would clear up over the following 24 hours.
But on arrival in Ahmedabad, the injury did not settle down as hoped and Stokes has since been receiving treatment from the physios to try and ease the discomfort. Stokes was set to play against New Zealand in the opener as England’s number four batter but that place could now be filled by Harry Brook who was a late addition to the squad in place of Jason Roy.
Skipper Buttler said he wouldn't make a call on Stokes until after training has been completed in the evening at the Narendra Modi Stadium, but he made it clear that it wasn’t the time to gamble on the fitness of such an important player in the squad.
“He’s got a slight niggle with his hip," said Buttler. "But fingers crossed there’ll be some good news for us.. Just to clarify he’s got a slight niggle. He’s working hard with the physio and we’ll know more when the guys arrive for training.
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"I think we’ll make the right call here, and if he’s not fit to play he’s not fit to play. We’ll make that decision, but now is not the time to take big risks on someone at the start of the tournament. At the end you would take more of a risk when it comes to injuries. It is going to be a long tournament so we’ll see how the guys pull up post training and then we can make our decisions."
Ben Stokes has been 12th man in both of England's last two games (Getty Images)If Brook is given the nod to play in place of Stokes his captain has every confidence the 24-year-old can make an impact and continue the stellar form that saw him crowned as the PCA Men's player of the year back in England on Monday night.
Buttler added: "I think we all know what a fantastic player Harry is and his international career so far has been outstanding in T20 and Test cricket.
"He hasn't played a lot of the ODI format but it should suit him perfectly and allow him to bat for a long time and make quick runs which is something he enjoys doing. He's got all the shots and we know from Test cricket that he can play big innings so it is a format that should suit him very well."