Cricket World Cup 2023: Will Ben Stokes Play In England Vs New Zealand In Ahmedabad?

England all-rounder Ben Stokes is reportedly in doubt for the ICC Cricket World Cup opening game against New Zealand due to an injury.

Stokes, who has been suffering from lingering knee issues, recently came out of One-Day International (ODI) retirement to rejoin England for the 50-over World Cup. But now he could miss the curtain raiser on Thursday due to a hip problem.

England and New Zealand will face off in the first match of the World Cup at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. It would be a repeat of the World Cup 2019 final, where England had defeated New Zealand on boundary count to clinch their maiden 50-over world title.

On the eve of the campaign opener, speaking about Stokes' injury, England captain Jos Buttler made it clear that he wouldn't be taking unnecessary risks at the start of the tournament. Buttler said that a call on Stokes for the opening game won't be made until after training would be completed on Thursday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

With his all-round skills, Stokes played a pivotal role in England's successful World Cup campaign in 2019 at home. On Stokes' situation, Buttler went on to add that it wasn't the time to gamble on the fitness of such an important player in the squad.

"He's got a slight niggle with his hip. But fingers crossed there'll be some good news for us. Just to clarify he's got a slight niggle. He's working hard with the physio and we'll know more when the guys arrive for training. I think we'll make the right call here, and if he's not fit to play he's not fit to play.

"We'll make that decision, but now is not the time to take big risks on someone at the start of the tournament. At the end, you would take more of a risk when it comes to injuries. It is going to be a long tournament so we'll see how the guys pull up post training and then we can make our decisions," Buttler told reporters on Wednesday.

Stokes was forced to skip the only warm-up game England played in Guwahati against Bangladesh as he iced the area at the top of his left hip. He was confident that the niggle would clear up over the following 24 hours. However, even after reaching Ahmedabad for the World Cup opener against the Kiwis, Stokes' injury did not settle down.

The all-rounder was set to play as the No. 4 batter on Thursday and if he is not declared fully fit for the game, Harry Brook, who was England's late addition to their World Cup squad, could be asked to fill in.