Ben Stokes: 'Door open' for England all-rounder to end ODI retirement and play at World Cup

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The "door is open" for Ben Stokes to travel retired of 50-over status and play astatine the World Cup successful India aboriginal this year, says England manager Matthew Mott.

But the all-rounder did not regularisation retired a U-turn past year amid calls for him to bash truthful aft helium led England to triumph successful the T20 World Cup final.

Mott said England are blessed to hold connected a decision.

"The doorway is ever unfastened for a subordinate of that prime but we are besides precise alert that his main absorption is is red-ball cricket arsenic the captain," Mott said, speaking earlier England's three-match ODI bid against South Africa begins connected Friday.

"We respect that and erstwhile he's acceptable to chat, we'll bash that."

England sanction squad to play South Africa

Stokes was antheral of the lucifer successful the 2019 World Cup last erstwhile England bushed New Zealand successful a melodramatic ace implicit to triumph the trophy for the archetypal time.

When announcing his daze status past July helium said "there is excessively overmuch cricket rammed in" for players to play each 3 formats.

At the clip helium ruled retired a World Cup instrumentality saying it would beryllium "unfair" connected those selected successful his place, but asked again successful November earlier a Test bid successful Pakistan helium said: "Who knows? At the moment, being retired here, my absorption is solely connected this series.

"Going to a World Cup is an astonishing happening to do, to correspond your country. But astatine the infinitesimal I'm not adjacent reasoning astir that."

Asked whether England would springiness Stokes a cut-off day to marque his determination by, Mott said: "I've had immoderate bully discussions with Jos [Buttler, captain] and Rob Key [director of England men's cricket] connected this.

"What we've worked out, arsenic you volition spot connected this tour, is that players are playing a batch of franchise cricket, coming successful and retired astatine antithetic times, truthful we request to support a truly flexible, unfastened caput to players and erstwhile we beryllium down to prime that 15 for the World Cup, we privation to prime the champion players possible."

The World Cup volition beryllium played successful October and November by which clip England volition not person played a Test for much than 2 months.

They bash not play again successful the longest format until aboriginal 2024, erstwhile they instrumentality to India for a five-match Test series.

Archer 'frothing' to play

Jofra Archer bowls to Jos Buttler and Jason Roy successful SA20

Stokes is not successful the England squad to play South Africa this week but accelerated bowler Jofra Archer could marque his archetypal planetary quality for astir 2 years arsenic helium makes his comeback from injury.

Mott said Archer was "frothing to play" but England volition negociate him passim a twelvemonth which includes an Ashes bid arsenic good arsenic the World Cup.

"Having watched him from a distance, I deliberation he's 1 of the astir breathtaking things to person happened successful cricket for the past decade," Mott said.

"The champion happening I tin accidental is that we person a wide program of what it [Archer's schedule] mightiness look like.

"We volition enactment done it with him, spot however his assemblage is coping. I decidedly deliberation helium is simply a precocious precedence and helium volition beryllium managed arsenic good arsenic possible."

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