Ben Stokes declares himself fit for World Cup vs. South Africa

By Liam Warren

ENGLAND’S World Cup hopes received a big boost as all-rounder Ben Stokes said he is fit and ready to come back into the side ahead of tomorrow’s match against South Africa

It was initially feared he would miss the entire tournament with a hip injury.

Stokes injured himself during a session in the gym five days prior to the start of cricket’s premier limited-overs competition and missed the first three matches as a result.

The 32-year-old recalled hearing a significant “pop” and spoke of his fears that would miss the opportunity to have an impact on this World Cup in India, but he is expected to return to the side against the Proteas.

“I thought I was done, because it’s not good hearing a pop,” Stokes said of the injury.

“But thankfully it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as what we initially thought”

It was reported that in the days leading up to tomorrow’s game in Mumbai that Stokes batted for 30 minutes in the nets yesterday and took full part in an intense set of fielding drills to get him ready for a potential return.

In the matches during the sensational all-rounder’s absence, defending champions England have won once and lost twice and have put their title defence in serious peril.

If Jos Buttler’s men fail to win against South Africa, it is almost certain they would have to win all their remaining group-stage matches in order to progress to the semi-finals.

They were poor with the ball and fell to defeat after a rather limp performance with the bat last time out against Afghanistan on Sunday, much like their opening bout with New Zealand.

Stokes reportedly spoke his mind in the dressing room following the crushing defeat, calling for England to return to their aggressive style of play that won them this very tournament in 2019 under Eoin Morgan.

“If we’re going to go down, let’s go down doing what we’re known for,” the 32-year-old said.

“Let’s not be timid, be restricted in what we do.

“We want to go out and show the opposition what England is and what we’ve been known for.

“Yes, we are a different team, we’re in a different era and stuff like that. But we can build on that.

“We’re not trying to hold onto what’s gone on in the past and everything like that. If anything, we can make that go further and further.”