England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler believes that young sensation Harry Brook is just unfortunate to not be in the ODI squad and the moment and added that he can still make it to the ODI World Cup final squad if an opportunity arrives. He has been replaced by red-ball skipper Ben Stokes, who announced his ODI retirement last year. However, after a fruitful discussion with the ECB, Stokes has confirmed his return but will not be bowling in the 50-overs format as he is currently dealing with a knee problem.
On the other hand, Brook remains on the radar of the selectors. Recently, he played a blistering knock of 105 runs in 42 deliveries in the Hundred 2023 and since then, he has been the talk of the town. Thus, Buttler was eventually asked about Brook’s absence from the national team, to which the skipper lauded the middle-order batter for his recent performances and assured him that he is in the scheme of things.
“There’s still a long time before everyone is meant to get on the plane, so we’ll wait and see what happens. We all know Harry’s a fantastic player and we saw what he could do the other night. It’s not like it’s a surprise: we know what a brilliant player he is, he’s just the unfortunate one at the moment to not be in that squad at the moment,” Buttler was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Ben Stokes coming back changes the dynamic a little bit: Buttler
Skipper Buttler confirmed that Ben Stokes coming back changes the dynamic of England’s batting as they prepare to retain the ODI World Cup trophy. Stokes has the experience and most importantly, is known for changing the complexion of the game in clutch situations, which can help the Three Lions in the coming times.
“Of course, Ben Stokes coming back and being available just as a batter sort of changes the dynamic a little bit. Ben’s a fantastic player to be able to welcome back, so it’s a really tough selection,” Buttler mentioned.