​​World Cup 2023: Bring in Ben Stokes even if he is 99% fit – Irfan Pathan after England’s loss against Afghanistan

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan wants England to bring in their star all-rounder Ben Stokes even if he is 99% fit. Stokes has missed England’s first three matches of the ongoing due to a hip niggle. England was also shocked by Afghanistan in their last game by 69 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi and Stokes’ services were deeply missed by the team.

Stokes has been a consistent performer for England and recently took a U-turn on his ODI retirement to make himself available for the World Cup. But Stokes suffered an injury at the 11th hour and he has been on the sidelines since then.

Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports, “Bring in Ben Stokes even if he is 99% fit. You need him. You brought him for his experience. They won’t have a chance to come back if they lose the next match. It won’t happen every time.”

Pathan recalled that England lost three matches in the 2019 World Cup and went on to win the event. Thus, there is no reason why the Jos Buttler-led can’t replicate the same success.

“In the 2019 World Cup, England lost three matches. They lost to Sri Lanka, Pakistan and one more match. They became the world champions despite that. So it’s not that everything is over but if they get too late in playing their main team and their better bowlers, they will not be able to catch the wagon.”

On the other hand, former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif reckons Stokes’ experience could have helped England chase down the score against Afghanistan.

“Probably, because he has the experience. He has played a lot in India. He has played for many years in the IPL. He has that experience and bats left-handed, so it would have made a difference.”

“However, without him as well, you are not talking about 400, 284 is a moderate total on a flat pitch. They had the batting. I can understand Ben Stokes has the experience but they have players apart from him as well. You talk about Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, and they have batting till No. 10.”

England will aim to bounce back after their shocking loss and they will next face South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday.