England have announced their squad for the tour of India and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Jos Buttler will continue to lead the team amidst speculations of him stepping down from the role after England’s underwhelming performances in the recent ICC events.
However, the biggest surprise was the omission of Ben Stokes from the ODI squad. Stokes is England’s premier allrounder and is one of the most experienced players in the team. He is also a big-match player who has performed brilliantly under pressure over the last few years.
Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: England squad for CT and India ODIs announced, Ben Stokes left out
Why is Ben Stokes not included in England’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad?
After announcing the squad, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) revealed the reason behind the omission of Ben Stokes from the squad. Stokes suffered a left hamstring injury during the third Test match against New Zealand at Hamilton.
He suffered the injury during New Zealand’s second innings of the match and had to leave the field without even completing his over. Currently, he is being assessed and therefore, was not considered for selection in any of the squads.
“Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes was not considered for selection as he continues to be assessed following a left hamstring injury sustained during the third Test match against New Zealand earlier this month,” ECB stated.
Stokes did not even come out to bat during England’s mammoth run-chase of 658 runs. England were all out for 234 as they lost the match by 423 runs. However, the visitors clinched the series 2-1 after having won the first two Tests of the series.
England to feel Ben Stokes’ absence
Stokes’ absence will hurt England as he has the skills and the experience to be successful in big tournaments. He famously played a Player of the Match-winning knock in the ODI World Cup 2019 final to help England lift the trophy.
In the same year, Stokes played a blinder during an Ashes Test match in Headingley to help England clinch a thriller over Australia. England famously won the match by 1 wicket as they chased down a massive target of 359 runs.
In 2022, he played another brilliant knock when his side was under pressure. The allrounder struck an unbeaten half-century in the final to take his team past the finish line.
Ben Stokes’ history with injuries
Stokes has a long history with injuries. A few months ago, he injured his hamstring during a match in The Hundred and was subsequently ruled out of the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.
Recently, he did not even put his name in the IPL 2025 auction to prolong his career in Test cricket. While he has been a regular in England’s red-ball teams being a captain, Stokes hasn’t played a white-ball game for more than a year.
His last ODI was way back in the ODI World Cup 2023 against Pakistan at Eden Gardens. His last T20I was also against Pakistan, in the T20 World Cup 2022 final.
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