Ben Stokes will reportedly make his return to England’s XI for their crunch fixture against South Africa in Mumbai. But after their worrying performance with both bat and ball against Afghanistan, they face a dilemma in how to fit him back in.
After the fanfare of his ‘unretirement’, not having Stokes in their side for the first three rounds of the tournament wasn’t part of England’s plan. He’s been conspicuous in his absence, sitting on the sidelines in a Hi-Vis and aviators, the cameras panning to him periodically as England flounder on the field. As if it wasn’t already clear that no matter what difficulties England are experiencing, they’ll pin their hopes on him as the answer to all their problems.
This time, however, despite the undeniable benefits he brought to the team, his return also brought problems. It’s clear he won’t be bowling during the tournament, so his appearance won’t give England an additional seam bowler who can leave them with a significant number of overs inside the top six. To re-establish him, they will likely have to sacrifice depth in their bowling attack or continue with a top-class batting line-up that looks erratic.
Before the tournament began, it was widely accepted that Stokes and Harry Brook would not play in the same eleven. Brook had previously been in the squad with the assumption that Stokes would return as soon as his back condition permitted. But given that England’s batting has looked vulnerable in his two of his three matches so far, especially after Brooke’s confident half-century against Afghanistan, Brooke and Stokes playing in the same eleven seems like an encouraging prospect.
An economical spell from Liam Livingstone.
This is the first time he has bowled 10 overs in an ODI. #CWC23 pic. twitter.com/PAwX7QMlEj
– Wisden (@WisdenCricket) 15. October 2023
Livingstone’s greater than expected reliability on the ball could pave the way for England to adjust their balance. Woakes and Curran show no signs of improvement after three innings, and it seems inevitable that at least one of them will miss the game. David Willey can fill in for one without sacrificing batting depth, but Gus Atkinson is the only one who can fill in if both players are absent. His faster pace with the new ball will be welcome, but he won’t have the run potential of Woakes or Curran.
This leaves England led by Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley and Atkinson. It’s not ideal if he’s the only time a batter has surpassed his .300 mark in this tournament.
However, replacing Curran with Stokes instead of Atkinson or Willie alleviates that tail worry a bit. As for the batting lineup, Buttler could return to the six-man format where he spent most of his time at the 2019 World Cup and lead from there until the end of the innings. This also means Livingston moves down to his 7, which seems like a more natural position.
What could undermine this solution is the reliance on Livingstone and, to a lesser extent, Joe Root, who somehow manages to last at least 10 overs. Both have been useful in the past, but there is a difference between being useful and being relied on to bowl a large number of overs.
There is no perfect solution to reintegrating Stokes and the balance England have chosen has compromised their depth in both areas. But regardless of the complexity, England will be a much stronger team with his addition. He is England’s best hope for turning the competition around.
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