'They will try their best': R. Ashwin takes a friendly jibe on Ben Stokes' retirement saga

English all-rounder and Test captain Ben Stokes announced his retirement from the 50-over format in July last year and shocked his fans. Stokes played an important role for England in winning the ODI World Cup in 2019 and the T20 World Cup in 2022. However, the all-rounder will not be a part of the team in the next edition of the tournament all set to take place in October this year. Though, England's limited overs format head coach Mathew Mott said in a statement, that the white ball captain Jos Buttler will speak to Stokes about reconsidering his retirement decision. 

3 things you need to know 

• England will play the opening match of the ODI World Cup 2023 against New Zealand 
• The match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad 
• The opening match will be a repeat of the final of the ODI World Cup 2019

R. Ashwin's friendly dig at Jos Buttler and England Cricket Board 

(English cricket team all-rounder Ben Stokes during the ENG vs IND ODI series in 2022 / Image: AP) 

Veteran Indian spinner and number Test bowler, Ravichandran Ashwin has taken a friendly jibe at England Cricket Board and limited overs skipper Jos Buttler. Ashwin believes that his Rajasthan Royals teammate is a man of few words and will try his best to bring back Ben Stokes to England's ODI setup. R. Ashwin said on his YouTube channel: 

They will try their best to convince Ben Stokes to come out of retirement and play the ODI World Cup and it seems that responsibility has been given to Jos Buttler. It seems Buttler's duty is to watch Ben Stokes, according to coach Matthew Mott. So Buttler is keeping an eye on Ben Stokes.

Now it's Buttler's job to make Stokes available for the World Cup. And Buttler is not a man of many words. He hardly speaks. So my guess is that he will go to Ben Stokes and say, 'Dude please join us. It will be really nice if you come out of retirement.' Buttler won't be outspoken. He will try his best. 

R Ashwin added 

Will Stokes come out of retirement? The main reason why he retired from ODIs is workload management. He said he can't keep playing all the time, he has issues with his knee. That was the whole point of retiring from one format. But England know how crucial he will be for them in the World Cup. 

As per a report by the English newspaper, 'The Telegraph', Ben Stokes can give up his INR 16 crore IPL contract with CSK and also miss the Indian Premier League 2024. This will be due to IND vs ENG five-match Test series, which will take place in January and March next year. 

If Ben Stokes, opts to play in the Indian Premier League after the Test series against India, he will spend close to 5 months in the South Asian country, which will be very hectic for him. Stokes is expected to undergo knee surgery soon, and the IPL window will be the best for him. This is because he can get the time to recover back from his surgery and return to play competitive cricket.