Ben Stokes is likely to return for England’s crucial World Cup clash with South Africa at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, according to reports.
The 32-year-old, who has been battling a hip injury, missed England’s first three World Cup games, which included defeats to New Zealand and Afghanistan.
However, according to several reports, Stokes is expected to be available for England’s upcoming showdown with South Africa, who are reeling after Tuesday’s shock loss to the Netherlands.
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“We’ve obviously been relatively conservative with him, but the medical staff were always confident that South Africa was a game we could target,” England coach Matthew Mott told reporters on Tuesday.
“I haven’t had a report on him in the last 24 hours, but before that, he was on target.
“So fingers crossed, he can tick off all the things that need to be ticked off and he comes back into that side. He’s like the spiritual leader of the group in many ways, and he certainly spoke really well after the game the other day, and spoke about that need to really assert ourselves.”
England, the reigning world champions, would need to win seven matches in a row to reclaim their title if they lose to the Proteas this weekend
“The boys are trying really hard,” Mott continued.
“But the two things that we’re probably missing are the confidence – to puff your chest out, go out there and really take the game on – and then it’s just our general attitude, our ability to do the little things: bowl in partnerships when we’re bleeding from one end … and then with the bat, just being a little bit braver.
“We pride ourselves on putting the opposition under pressure, and on reflection, we’ve been the reactive team in those two games. We need to turn that around really quickly.”
PCB CROWD BEHAVIOUR COMPLAINTS
The Pakistan Cricket Board has lodged an official complaint with the ICC about the crowd behaviour directed towards Pakistan’s players during Saturday’s game against India at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
On Wednesday morning, the PCB released a statement confirming it had filed a complaint regarding “inappropriate conduct” during the marquee fixture. It comes after footage emerged of Indian supporters hurling abuse at Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan following his dismissal in Ahmedabad.
The PCB also lodged another formal protest with the ICC over delays in visas for Pakistani journalists and the absence of a visa policy for Pakistan fans.
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Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur took a dig at cricket’s governing body on Saturday, claiming the absence of support for his team in Ahmedabad’s 132,000-capacity stadium made the occasion look like “a BCCI event” rather than an international marquee match-up.
Pakistan fans were effectively banned from the ground after failing to secure visas to cross the border, leaving the arena awash with the blue shirts of India supporters as the hosts coasted to a seven-wicket victory.
Arthur’s team were backed only by a handful of expatriate Pakistan fans who had made the trip from the United States and United Kingdom.
Asked how much a factor the partisan crowd was against a “timid” Pakistan team, Arthur replied: “It didn’t seem like an ICC event to be brutally honest.
“It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) event.”
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