England all-rounder Ben Stokes has withdrawn from the T20 World Cup, which will be held later this year in the United States and the West Indies. England will enter the competition as defending champions, having won the last edition of the tournament held in Australia. Stokes scored an undefeated half-century in the final against Pakistan.
Stokes has only appeared in two T20 matches since, both in last year's IPL and has remarked that missing the World Cup was "a sacrifice that allows me to be the allrounder I want to be for the foreseeable future."
According to a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the England Test captain's primary goal is to be fully fit to bowl not only during the summer of Test cricket, which includes two three-match Test series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka but also in the future.
The recent Test tour of India highlighted how far behind I was from a bowling point of view after my knee surgery and nine months without bowling. I’m looking forward to playing for Durham in the County Championship before the start of our Test summer. I wish Jos [Buttler], Motty [Matthew Mott], and the team the best of luck in defending our title.
~he added
England's T20 World Cup 2024 campaign begins on June 4 against Scotland at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. They will then play group matches against Australia, Oman, and Namibia in Barbados and Antigua before qualifying for the Super 8s and knockout rounds.
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