On April 2, 2024, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) officially announced that Ben Stokes, the Test captain and star all-rounder, has withdrawn himself from contention for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.

Scheduled to take place in June in the West Indies and the USA, this year’s T20 World Cup will see England, the reigning champions, commence their title defense on June 4 against Scotland at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

Ben Stokes played a pivotal role as the top-order batsman in England’s victorious campaign in the T20 World Cup 2022 held in Australia. His unbeaten 52 runs in the final against Pakistan at the MCG played a significant part in England’s triumph, securing their second T20 World Cup title with a five-wicket victory.

Despite his stellar performance in the previous tournament, Ben Stokes has communicated to the ECB his decision to opt out of consideration for selection in the T20 World Cup 2024. He cited his primary focus on attaining full fitness to bowl, not only for the upcoming summer of Test cricket, which includes two three-match Test series against West Indies and Sri Lanka respectively, but also for all future cricket engagements.

“I’m working hard and focusing on building my bowling fitness back up to fulfill a full role as an all-rounder in all formats of cricket. Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable 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, Motty, and all the team the best of luck in defending our title,” Stokes told ECB.

England will play group matches against Australia, Oman, and Namibia in Barbados and Antigua before qualification for the Super 8s and knockouts.

(ECB inputs)

T20 World Cup ❌

Ben Stokes will play no part in this summer's tournament 🏆

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) April 2, 2024