Jos Buttler has insisted that England are planning for the 2023 ODI World Cup without Ben Stokes despite hopes the all-rounder will make a u-turn on his decision to retire from the format.
This week, Stokes was named ICC Test Cricketer of the Year after captaining a resurgent England to series wins over New Zealand, South Africa, and Pakistan in 2022, as well as victory in their rearranged clash with India. He also starred in his country's T20 World Cup win, hitting 52 not out in the final as England edged to a thrilling win against the Shaheens.
But citing schedule demands, he also stepped away from the 50-over format. He did so with an unrivalled legacy, having been the hero of England's only ODI World Cup win in 2019 in what proved a final clash for the ages against the Black Caps.
But this week, England white-ball coach Matthew Mott revealed he still held hope that the 31-year-old would reverse his decision: "The door is always open for a player of that quality but we are also very aware that his main focus is red ball cricket as the captain," he said, adding "we leave the door open."
Ahead of captaining the side in their first of three ODI clashes in South Africa on Friday, Buttler was also asked about the prospect of Stokes being available in India this October: "If he wants to change his decision, of course he'd be welcomed back with open arms but we are very much at the moment planning as if he he won't be available," was the diplomatic response.
Buttler, 32, will be well aware that Stokes' primary focus will be on captaining England to a first Ashes win since 2015 this summer. He missed the last series down under after taking a prolonged break from the sport to recover from injury and mental health issues.
Regardless, the 32-year-old has at least been buoyed by the return on one star name. After an impressive return to action in the SA20 league, Jofra Archer is set to play a first international match in almost two years in Bloemfontein.
Buttler said: "He's only just coming back to competitive cricket, this will be his first international game for a long time, and there's always going to be a level of expectation on Jofra because we all know what he's capable of. But I'm sure he's just going to get better and better as he comes back."
Following the series with the Proteas, England will play three further ODI's in Bangladesh in March. Their 15-man World Cup squad will be named before warm-up games with New Zealand and Ireland in September.
