England all-rounder Ben Stokes will miss this year’s Twenty20 World Cup as he is unavailable for selection.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has said in a statement that Stokes wants to focus on regaining his fitness ahead of this summer’s Test matches. Stokes wants to be fully fit to bowl for the upcoming Test series against West Indies and Sri Lanka.
In a statement, Stokes said, “I am working hard and focusing on building up my bowling fitness to play a full role as an all-rounder in all formats of cricket. Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that will allow me to become the all-rounder that I want to be in the near future.”
Stokes added, “The recent Test tour of India highlighted how far behind I was from a bowling perspective after my knee surgery and not bowling for 9 months.”
England are the current T20 World Cup champions, winning their second title in Australia in 2022.
