Ben Stokes to undergo knee surgery after World Cup 2023
England all-rounder Ben Stokes is all set to undergo knee surgery following the conclusion of the ongoing World Cup 2023. He has been struggling with the issue for more than 18 months and wishes to overcome it as soon as possible.
Stokes was considering having the surgery after the Ashes series this summer but he chose to come out of ODI retirement to help England defend their title. To cope with the body, he decided to play as a specialist batter and not bowl any overs.
However, even that idea didn’t work out well for the all-rounder and the English side. He missed the initial games due to injury and when he returned, he seemed completely off-colour, failing to contribute anything significant.
With the aim to undergo the knee injury at the end of this month, Stokes will be hoping to lead the English side in the Test series against India in January. The series will be a 5-match battle, commencing on January 25 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
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England’s disastrous World Cup campaign
Before the kick-off of the marquee event, England was on almost every cricket pundit’s list of teams to qualify for the semis and eventually lift the title. However, things have gone miserably for the Jos Buttler-led side in the mission to defend the world title.
In six games, they have managed to win only one while tasting defeat in the rest five battles. With a high negative net run rate, they are sitting at the bottom of the points table.
Since their semi-final berth has almost been compromised, England will play to save their reputation. They will also be aiming to finish in the top seven to qualify for the Champions Trophy 2025, which will be hosted by Pakistan.
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