“We will see if he’s keen” - Matthew Mott discloses Jos Buttler will speak to Ben Stokes over reconsidering ODI retirement

England white-ball coach Matthew Mott has revealed that limited-overs captain Jos Buttler will have a chat with Test skipper Ben Stokes to see if the all-rounder is willing to reconsider his ODI retirement. Mott stated that the England team management is fine with Stokes playing as a pure batter in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Stokes announced a shock retirement from ODIs in July last year at the age of 31. He quit the format by stating that playing all three versions of the game had become unsustainable for him.

The England Test skipper played a key role with the bat in the recently concluded Ashes 2023, which finished 2-2. He did not bowl a lot due to his knee injury, which has been troubling him for a while now.

Incidentally, Stokes sent an SOS to Moeen Ali, requesting him to come out of Test retirement for Ashes 2023 after Jack Leach got injured. England would be hoping Stokes also does something similar as the ODI world champions gear up for their title defense.

Mott told Mail Sport:

“Jos will probably lead the way on that communication, but Ben’s pretty straight with all of us. We will see if he’s keen. There has not been a clear direction on what he’s going to do yet, but we are still hopeful. I’ve always said his bowling would be a bonus, but just look at what he brings with the bat, even in the field.”

Elaborating on what Stokes brings to the table as an ODI cricketer, Mott stated:

“Watching him throughout the whole Ashes series, he had such a great presence. He’s done it for years when it comes to performing in one-day cricket and so he’s an invaluable commodity.”

Stokes represented England in 105 ODIs, scoring 2924 runs an average of 38.98, with three hundreds and 21 fifties. On the bowling front, he claimed 74 wickets at an average of 42.39.

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Ben Stokes’ impressive Ashes 2023

Stokes had a highly fruitful campaign with the bat for England in Ashes 2023. In five matches, he contributed 405 runs at an average of 45.

The left-handed batter scored a brilliant 155 in a losing cause in the second Test at Lord’s. His first-innings 80 in the third Test at Lord’s resurrected England and the hosts went on to win the momentum-shifting Test by three wickets.

The England captain contributed handy knocks of 51 and 42 in the last two Test matches as well. He did not bowl in the last three Tests, but chipped in with three scalps in the first two matches.