CWC'23: Dropping Brook is unfortunate but who else would’ve made way for talismanic Stokes, asks Atherton
Dropping Brook is unfortunate but talismanic Stokes has to play CWC: Atherton
England’s greatest modern-day match-winner Ben Stokes is back in the reckoning for the World Cup 2023, but a section of fans is still upset. They are upset with ECB’s decision to drop T20 World Cup winner and future star Harry Brook from the provisional squad for Stokes to fit in. Michael Atherton, a former captain and opener, shared the exact views but further questioned if not Brook, then who else?
Luke Wright-led selection committee named a provisional squad for the upcoming New Zealand ODIs and the World Cup 2023, with some new faces in the bowling department. Though they have kept their base from the previous edition with a star-heavy top-order, ECB dropped unfit Jofra Archer – who is said to travel to India only as a travelling reserve.
Meanwhile, following his Test debut against South Africa last year, Harry Brook emerged as the best batter in this format for England – scoring 1181 runs in 12 matches, with seven fifties and four hundreds already. After helping England win the T20 World Cup in Australia the past year, Brook was looked up to as a sure starter for England across formats.
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However, with Jos Buttler urging Stokes to come out of ODI retirement and play the upcoming World Cup and Stokes agreeing to it, someone had to be overlooked, and unfortunately, it was the young gun, Brook.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Atherton said his heart goes out for Brook, but then who else would have been dropped to put Stokes back into the side? Citing examples of all other players in the line-up, Atherton said,
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"Harry Brook is the unlucky one," Atherton told Sky Sports News.
"It really is a consequence of the Stokes selection and the fact he has come out of retirement. Then, how do you get him in? They want Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow.
"They have retained faith with Roy and Bairstow at the top of the order, Dawid Malan is cover for the top order there, Liam Livingstone provides cover for Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali in the spin department, so in the end, it is Brook who has given way.
"If you said to the selectors 'Do you want Brook in your team?' they would say yes, but they just don't feel as though they can fit him in," he added.
‘Great news for England fans’
With Stokes announcing his decision to unretire from the ODIs, there was a sense of jubilation among the English cricket fans, who were waiting for their greatest match-winner to return and hoglimelight like he did in the previous edition.
"I think it is great news for England and for England fans who will be delighted to see such a great cricketer come back," Atherton said.
"The lure of the World Cup was just too strong. He played such a central role in England winning that World Cup four years ago, and this is his chance to defend it, probably his last chance in a 50-over World Cup. Once he made himself available, the selectors had to pick him. You have to pick a cricketer like Ben Stokes if they are available - he makes any team better,” he added.
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