Ben Stokes has informed England’s management that he will not be selected for their title defence in the Caribbean, hence he has ruled himself out of the T20 World Cup in June.

At the MCG, Ben Stokes scored the game-winning run in the 2022 final while recording his first T20I half-century and helping England defeat Pakistan by five wickets. He said that missing the World Cup was “a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future,” yet he has only featured in two T20 matches since—both of which were during the IPL last year.

Stokes changed his mind about retiring from ODI cricket in the summer of 2022 in order to participate in the 50-over World Cup at the end of last year. But because of his availability, he had to postpone having knee surgery, and during England’s most recent 4-1 Test series loss to India, he was only able to bowl five overs. Having opted out of the IPL 2024, he anticipates playing for Durham in the County Championship at some point in the upcoming months.

Ben Stokes said in a statement released by the ECB on Tuesday

England may use Liam Livingstone in place of Stokes in the No. 4 spot he occupied during their 3-2 loss to the West Indies in December. However, Livingstone hobbled off while fielding for Punjab Kings on Sunday, citing an apparent muscle strain. The severity of the injury is pending the results of a scan.

In the previous three years, Stokes has only participated in three Twenty20 international matches for England outside of World Cups. It’s possible that his decision to retire ended a 43-match career in which he was rarely at his best. But since he would only be 34 years old in 2026, he may still be eligible to play in the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

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