Former England skipper Nasser Hussain has opined that Ben Stokes has to be an active part of the English playing XI at the World Cup to overcome their abysmal start in India. The defending champions of the marquee event are having an underwhelming tournament so far.
They conceded two losses in the three games they have played, sparking a reaction from Nasser who feels that the crucial hour requires the services of their batting icon and former captain Ben Stokes. While writing a column for the DailyMail, Nasser said, “Ben Stokes has got to come back if he is fit. I sincerely hope England were not holding him back there thinking ‘it’s only Afghanistan’”.
In his column, Nasser Hussain further said that Jos Buttler’s side have already elapsed their wiggle room at the World Cup and from henceforth they must record victories in all of their upcoming fixtures.
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“There is no wiggle room now. They have to win every match from here on”, he wrote. Nasser also addressed the potential problem that Stokes’ recall can cause. Harry Brook would likely be the one to take the fall, to make space for their former skipper.
Whereas Nasser feels that Jos Buttler should be playing Brook and Stokes in the squad. He wrote, “I would play them both. That means a top six of Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Brook, Stokes and Buttle and then pick the best five bowlers.” He also added that the batters must be selected irrespective of their ability to bat.
Nasser also felt that the lack of confidence was one of the key reasons why England lost to Afghanistan. “Back then they had a lot of confidence and consistency in selection but this England side looks vulnerable. From now on, they will need to be resilient and ruthless”, he concluded.
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England were tragic in their third ODI World Cup game against Afghanistan. The two sides went head-to-head at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on October 15. England won the toss and decided they would field first. Afghanistan wicketkeeper batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz led the batting charge in the first innings as he smashed 80 runs in only 57 balls.
Ikram Alikhil also contributed to Afghanistan’s tally with his own half-century in the later stages of the innings. The duo were the driving force for their side, helping Afghanistan to a 284-run tally. England’s Adil Rashid put up a good show on the bowling front, scalping three wickets while giving away only 42 runs.
In the second innings, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan combined for six wickets to curb England to a score of 215 runs. Harry Brook played the best innings from his side, hitting 66 runs but it just wasn’t enough to win the game.
Afghanistan went on to pull off a massive upset, beating the English side by 69 runs.
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