Former Australian Test captain Tim Paine has criticized England‘s Test captain Ben Stokes for reversing his decision to retire from 50-over internationals in white-ball cricket and rejoining the team for the World Cup. Paine stated that Stokes should not be allowed to selectively participate in events at his convenience.
Stokes, aged 32, had declared his retirement from ODIs in July of the previous year, citing the strain of juggling three cricket formats.However, he recently reversed his retirement to secure a spot in the 15-member England squad for a limited-overs series against New Zealand. This series serves as preparation for the upcoming World Cup in India.
While England are enthusiastic about Stokes’s re-entry into the ODI squad in anticipation of the World Cup scheduled to begin from October 5 in India, Paine hinted that Stokes’s actions were driven by a self-centered attitude.”Ben Stokes coming out of one day retirement, I found that interesting,” Paine said on Sen Radio.
“It was a bit of ‘me, me, me’ there, isn’t it? It was, ‘I’ll pick and I’ll choose where I want to play and when I want to play’, and, ‘I’ll play in the big tournaments’.”
Paine opined that England cricketers who had been slogging for 12 months waiting to play in the World Cup will have to sit out to make way for Stokes.
“The guys who played for 12 months, ‘Sorry, thanks. But can you go and sit on the bench because I want to play now?’,” said Paine.

In light of his ongoing knee injury, Stokes is expected to contribute primarily as a specialized batter, as bowling worsens his chronic condition.
Paine pointed out that the England cricket board’s choice to include Stokes in the New Zealand series has resulted in the exclusion of Harry Brook. Brook achieved the distinction of becoming the fastest to amass 1,000 Test runs when measured on a per-ball basis, achieving this feat in 1,058 balls. Nevertheless, Brook has not managed to secure a spot in the England squad.
“I don’t know, he’s (Stokes) not bowling. Harry Brook or Ben Stokes? As a bat. It would be very close, very, very close.”

However, Paine conceded that the current champions of the ODI World Cup, England, will hold the status of favorites as they head into the imminent tournament, sharing the spotlight with the host nation, India.
“Probably (England are now favourites), them and India. I think the Aussies, if they can get hot (they can also win),” added Paine.
(With agency inputs)