Stokes not ready for ‘the easy way out’ by leaving World Cup for knee surgery

Ben Stokes never considered the possibility of leaving the World Cup early to bring forward his impending knee surgery, despite England’s Test tour of India looming in two and a half months. Going home, he said, would have been “the easy way out.”

Stokes revealed ahead of England’s 33-run defeat to Australia in Ahmedabad last week that he would undergo an operation later this month in a bid to resolve the chronic left knee problem that sees him play like specialist hitter since the beginning of July. He expects his rehabilitation to take between five and seven weeks, giving him a short window before his Test squad tour of India in January. The first of the five Tests begins on January 25 in Hyderabad.

But even after their elimination was confirmed, Stokes said he had no plans to return home until England’s final two group matches. “Just because things didn’t go the way we wanted, we never thought about leaving early, taking the easy way out,” he said. “We came here as a team and we will leave here as one.”

Jos Buttler, the England captain, said there had been no discussion about the possibility of Stokes leaving. “It’s not his style at all: he’s here to play in the World Cup. He wants to be here and it’s important for us to try to qualify for this Champions Trophy. He wants to make sure that We’re trying to make that happen.”

Stokes significantly improved England’s chances of qualifying for this tournament in 18 months on Wednesday night, hitting 108 from 84 balls against the Netherlands in Pune to put them seventh in the group stage heading into the final round. It was his first World Cup century, in what is likely to be his penultimate World Cup appearance.

Having called off his retirement for this tournament, Stokes is highly unlikely to feature in the ODIs after England’s final group match against Pakistan in Kolkata on Saturday. Either way, this will be his last 50-over match for at least 10 months: his operation will rule him out of England’s tour of the Caribbean next month, and they won’t play another ODI until September 2024.

Stokes was non-committal about his future plans on Wednesday evening, saying he had “no idea” if Saturday would be his last ODI. Rob Key, England’s chief executive, is in Kolkata ahead of the match against Pakistan. “I’m sure there will be a conversation [with him]”Stokes said. “But I don’t know when that will be the case.”

After missing England’s first three matches at the World Cup due to a hip injury suffered while doing lunges in a hotel gym in Guwahati, Stokes said his fitness had improved during the tournament. “I used the time between matches to give myself a better opportunity [of recovering well] after the operation,” he said.

“All the work at the gym doesn’t compare to what you do there [on the pitch]. I’m looking forward to getting this resolved and not having to worry like I have for the last 18 months. From a physical point of view, I am in better shape than when I arrived here. But fitness and fitness in cricket are two different things. »