07 September 2023 , 13:42
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Ben Stokes is ready for another tilt at World Cup glory after recovering from the physical and emotional rollercoaster of the Ashes.
And the Test skipper admits there could be more for him to recover from in the future once he maps out a plan for his troublesome knee.
Stokes again refused to rule out the possibility of surgery on the chronic tendonitis in his left knee which is preventing him from bowling at the moment.
But for now he is happy to kick that can down the road with his good leg and focus on retaining the 50 over World Cup that he did most to secure in 2019, now that he is back in the ODI fold for a four match series against New Zealand.
“It's been a month since we finished the Ashes,” said Stokes. “It's been a good chance to rest up and get into a good position for these one-dayers and the World Cup afterwards. I've had some good conversations with specialists in different fields around rehab and a plan going forward after the World Cup.
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“There will be the potential of something happening after the World Cup. I didn’t really get an understanding of what the Ashes took out of me until we finished and then for three or four days after the last Test match I was pretty exhausted, tired, and had a lot of naps.
“It was an amazing thing to be a part of. Physically and mentally it was demanding and the come-down after the Ashes hit me hard for three or four days after we finished.”
Ben Stokes will be back in an England ODI team on Friday having reversed his retirement from the format ahead of the World Cup (Stu Forster/Getty Images)Stokes returns to the side having played just 10 ODIs since that memorable final at Lord’s four years ago, but even as a batter only he makes the team stronger.
And it is that desire to be a part of another World Cup winning side that persuaded Stokes to reverse his retirement decision and give it another go, knowing this generation of England players have a good chance of going back-to-back.
“From a personal point of view, we won the World Cup in 2019 and the closer and closer it got, I started thinking differently around that,” said Stokes. “Going to India and trying to defend the World Cup was a big reason for saying 'I'm available for selection if you want to choose me to come'.
Stokes helped England win a T20 World Cup last winter (Popperfoto via Getty Images)“I think everyone knows and it's not arrogant for us to say that we're a very good team with a very good depth of personnel to be able to choose from.
“We like our chances but the thing about World Cups is who can handle the pressure the best on any given day, so the teams who can handle the emotional side of the sport is something that should never be overlooked.
“We know we're a good team but it's also about handling the pressure of playing in the World Cup for your country as well.”