(Cricket News) The England red-ball captain Ben Stokes has opted out of the upcoming T20 World Cup. The global tournament is set to played in the Caribbean and the USA from June 2, 2024. Stokes has pulled out in order to focus on his fitness ahead of the English summer.

The star all-rounder guided England to the T20 title last time around in Australia, with a defining half-century knock in the finals. He has revealed that he intends to regain full fitness in order to bowl again, and therefore, asked the ECB not to consider him for selection.

Stokes has been struggling with an injury to his knee, that has kept him away from bowling. He did not bowl in the final three Ashes tests against Australia, and was also away from the bowling role for the first 4 tests against India. Him not bowling, proved to be a concern for the English side when they visited India, as it altered the Balance of the side.

He only bowled in the final test against India at Dharamsala. His focus now has shifted to the County Championships where he is eying for a return, not only as a batter, but a all-rounder. The English summer consist of games against West Indies and Sri Lanka.

“I’m working hard and focusing on building my bowling fitness back up to fulfil a full role as an all-rounder in all formats of cricket,” Stokes said. “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 [Buttler], Motty [Matthew Mott] and all the team the best of luck in defending our title.”

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