World Cup 2023: England announce provisional squad as Ben Stokes returns; Harry Brook and star quick Jofra Archer miss out

Amid speculation, star all-rounder and England’s previous World Cup hero Ben Stokes, who took retirement from ODIs last year, has returned to the squad. Interestingly, swashbuckling batter Harry Brook has been dropped from the squad. Meanwhile, England has suffered a big setback as pacer Jofra Archer could not prove his fitness, and he will only fly to India as a traveling reserve.

The English team must be hoping for some sort of miracle, as Archer could turn the match on its head with his fiery spells. Notably, Archer was England’s leading wicket-taker in the previous World Cup, which the home team won after beating New Zealand in a thrilling final.

“This is the squad we are going to put forward,” England selector Luke Wright said on Wednesday.

“It’s incredibly hard on some players that are going to miss out. It shows the strength and depth we have in English Cricket and there are other names who are knocking on the door as well,” ICC Cricket quoted Wright as saying.

“With the balance of the squad, and with only fifteen that you can name, it’s incredibly tough.””The return of Ben Stokes only adds to that quality with his match-winning ability and leadership. I am certain that every fan will enjoy seeing him back in an England ODI shirt again,” Wright added. Here’s England’s provisional squad for the World Cup: Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.