09 March 2023 , 11:12
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England have been warned they will not retain the 50-over World Cup later this year if they cannot tempt Ben Stokes out of retirement.
Stokes was England's hero when they beat New Zealand in the 2019 final, scoring an unbeaten 84, but decided to retire from ODI cricket last summer citing the "unsustainable" schedule.
However, England white ball coach Matthew Mott is keen for Stokes to reverse his decision and says he will need to know "halfway through the summer if he wants to put himself up for selection".
"I deliberately made an effort to leave Ben alone," Mott said earlier this month. "The issue about if he wants to play: we don't need to know for a while.
"Halfway through that summer, gauging how he is feeling physically and mentally that will be his call if he wants to put himself up for selection. We'd welcome him back.
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"We talk about team balance but a person that can bowl in any over of the game and can make big hundreds as well every team will cry out for that."
And England legend Steve Harmison believes they need Stokes to reverse his retirement if they are to lift the trophy once again in India.
Steve Harmison believes England will not be able to win the World Cup without Stokes (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)"I don't think England win the World Cup without Ben Stokes," Harmison told talkSPORT. "I really don't.
"I think his game management, situation reading and ability to intimidate the opposition... that whole package gives that 0.5% more that England need sometimes to get over the line.
"If Ben Stokes had been playing in that third ODI [against Bangladesh] and it was a World Cup, he would've got England over the line. He's a different animal when it comes to knockout cricket and I think you'd miss his all-round contributions."