England’s chances of retaining their men’s T20 World Cup title in the Caribbean this summer have suffered a huge blow after Ben Stokes decided to withdraw from contention for the squad as he focuses on being fit to bat and bowl across a busy Test summer.
After bowling in the final Test in India last month Stokes appeared on track to be selected for the T20 World Cup as an all-rounder, an outcome which England’s white-ball coach, Matthew Mott, had hoped and planned for. But as captain of the Test team, and with two three-match Test series to play across the summer against West Indies and Sri Lanka, Stokes has decided his priorities lie elsewhere.
