England limited-overs captain Jos Buttler hailed “superstar” Ben Stokes following his decision to come out of ODI retirement.
The England Test skipper had originally called time on his 50-over career last summer amid concerns surrounding workload and a knee problem.
However, Stokes announced his intention to play ODI cricket again earlier this month and has subsequently been named in the squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand with the World Cup in India looming in October.
England play the Black Caps in four T20s first before the same amount of ODIs, which begin in Cardiff next month, and Buttler admitted he was “delighted” to have Stokes back in the fold.
“It’s excellent news on all fronts, it’s great for cricket to have a superstar like Ben Stokes in a World Cup,” Buttler told a press conference.
“You want to see those players in those major showpiece events so it’s fantastic that he’s made himself available.
“When a player of that calibre is available again it’s a no-brainer really that you want them back in your team.
“You look at the impact he has in every game he plays really, but especially in the last couple of World Cups, he’s the man in the middle with the crucial moment.
“We’re delighted to have him back, it’s not just the cricket but everything else he brings to the group.”
Stokes played a pivotal role in England winning the 50-over World Cup in 2019, scoring an unbeaten 84 in the final against New Zealand before starring in the Super Over alongside Buttler.
He will be returning to the ODI squad as a specialist batter and Buttler added that Stokes made his decision following the conclusion of the Ashes series.
He said: “Ben and I caught up during the IPL, had some good conversations about what he wanted to achieve in the year, so him coming to me and saying that the Ashes is his main priority, but if he could come through that physically he’d like to be considered for the World Cup.
“So I just left it at that and said you let me know after the Ashes how you’re feeling.
“We spoke after that, he said he’d be available as a batter and that was enough for me to just say brilliant ‘can’t wait to have you back’.”
England’s last T20 outing came in Bangladesh, where they suffered a series whitewash, and after a five-month hiatus they open the 20-over leg of the New Zealand series at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.
Although one eye is on the World Cup later this year, Buttler is looking forward to a “great test”.
“It’s great to be back together as a squad having not played together since Bangladesh in March,” Buttler added.
“It’s very exciting stuff on the horizon obviously with the World Cup in India, but we start with the T20 series here against New Zealand which we’re determined to do well in.
“Of course I suppose the main priority is the ODIs against New Zealand, I think they’ll be a great test for us ahead of the World Cup.”
Pooran's blistering 61 not enough as Shai Hope's Capitals edge LSG by 19 runs to keep slim play-off hopes alive
Delhi Capitals defeated Lucknow Super Giants to boost their hopes of making the Indian Premier League play-offs.
The Capitals claimed a 19-run victory on Tuesday, with Abishek Porel (58) and Tristan Stubbs (57 not out) starring.
Their efforts propelled Delhi to 208-4 from their 20 overs, with Shai Hope (38) and Rishabh Pant (33) chipping in with useful contributions as LSG's bowling attack struggled badly. Hope faced 27 balls and had three fours and two sixes in his knock.
Nicholas Pooran top-scored with a 27-ball 61 in Lucknow's chase, while Arshad Khan plundered an unbeaten 58, yet it was not enough, with the Super Giants only able to reach 189-9 in response. Pooran's knock included six fours and four maximums, while Khan had three fours and five sixes in his 33-ball knock.
Shai Hope found his range after a quiet start.
Ishant Sharma, with 3-34, was the pick of the Capitals' bowlers, as they must now wait and see if Chennai Super Kings or Sunrisers Hyderabad slip up enough to send Delhi into the top four.
LSG are down in seventh, and they must beat Mumbai Indians heavily in their last match to stand any chance of making the play-offs.
Data Debrief: Ishant hits double figures... again
Introduced as the impact player, Ishant fulfilled his duty with three swift wickets inside his first three overs, with Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul and Deepak Hood all taken out.
Ishant has now taken 10 wickets this season, and is onto 93 across his entire IPL career. It is the sixth season Ishant has reached double figures for wickets, and his second in a row.
Afridi lauds 'world class' Babar and Rizwan as Pakistan win Ireland series
Shaheen Afridi lauded Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as "world class" after the pair guided Pakistan to a T20I series victory over Ireland on Tuesday.
Babar's side were defeated in the first meeting with Ireland last week but responded with two convincing chases to secure a 2-1 triumph.
Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker's 73 helped his side to set a target of 179 in the winner-takes-all-decider, but Pakistan had little trouble in easing to a six-wicket victory with 18 balls to spare.
Rizwan, who managed an unbeaten 75 in the second meeting, crafted a well-made 56, while Babar carried Pakistan to within touching distance after his 42-ball 75.
Big-hitter Azam Khan blasted 18 off just six deliveries to see the visitors over the line, though Afridi was quick to credit the work of the two experienced Pakistan campaigners.
"For us, before the World Cup, it's important to have these games to ready ourselves and there are a few areas to improve," said Afridi, who impressed with 3-14 in the first innings.
"They're both world-class players [Babar and Rizwan]; they know how to play their role and they have done really well on this pitch."
Babar bludgeoned four of his five sixes off Ben White's bowling in the 14th over, while sharing 139 runs with the in-form Rizwan for the second wicket.
"We had good communication in the middle because we have played a lot of cricket together; we were trying to play on our strengths and the aim was to match with the run rate," Babar added.
"Lots of positives for us to take and we were able to execute our plans.
"We have a big tournament coming up and this is good practice; we are now looking forward to the England series."
Mark Adair was the only Ireland bowler to impress with his economical 3-28, though Tucker was still satisfied with his side's efforts.
"It was brilliant and a great privilege to captain," Tucker said at the post-match presentation. "It would have been nice to start with a win.
"We set up a platform nicely but unfortunately, we couldn't finish well. We gave everyone a go with the ball. Credit to the lads, they bowled well in tough conditions.
"Maybe it was a bit disappointing with the result but we had positives from the series."
IPL: KKR ensured top-two spot after washout
The first abandoned game of the Indian Premier League ensures Kolkata Knight Riders will finish in the top two and Gujarat Titans’ elimination from playoff contention.
A combination of lightning and rain meant there was not even a toss, with the intense storm ripping banners from the stands, which later wrapped around the floodlights.
KKR had all but ensured a place in the top two due to their dominating net run-rate, but a 19th point of the season confirmed it, leaving them with one game to try and clinch top spot for the first time.
The Titans needed to win their final two games to give themselves any hope of reaching the playoffs, though it would have proven tough for the side with the lowest net run-rate in the league.
It is the first time GT have failed to make the playoffs since they joined the competition before the 2022 season.
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