Tim Paine takes brutal dig at Ben Stokes for taking back ODI retirement for Cricket World Cup 2023

England will be taking on New Zealand and Ireland before the World Cup 2023.

England have brought back England’s World Cup 2019 hero Ben Stokes for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. Ben Stokes will be coming out of retirement to play for England one more time in the One-Day Internationals to defend England’s World Cup champions title. Stokes announced his retirement from ODI cricket last year to focus on Test and T20I formats. Stokes will be making his comeback against New Zealand in the upcoming home series. After this development, Former Australian captain Tim Paine has brutally slammed England test skipper Ben Stokes for reversing his decision. 

Tim Paine labels Ben Stokes’ decision ‘selfishness’

Former Australian captain Tim Paine while talking to SEN Tasmania, said that he finds this decision a bit interesting and solely based on just the ‘Me, Me, Me, and Me’ kind of attitude from the player to pick and choose events. Paine said, “Ben Stokes coming out of the ODI retirement, I found that interesting. It was a bit of me, me, me, and me there isn’t it? It was, I will pick and I will choose where I want to play and when I want to play and I will play in the big tournaments. The guys who played for 12 months, ‘Sorry, thanks. But can you go and sit on the bench because I want to play now?’

Former Australian skipper Tim Paine also expressed that England will be taking a very close call in their middle order to decide on whether to go with Brook or Stokes as a batter. He also said he is not bowling so the case of him being an all-rounder also rests. Stokes didn’t bowl in the final Three Ashes test and played solely as a batter for England. Paine said, “I don’t know, He (Stokes) isn’t bowling. Harry Brook or Ben Stokes? As a batter, It would be very close, very very close.” Stokes did bowl in the first two Ashes tests but couldn’t go for longer spells. 

Ben Stokes played a heroic knock to make England World Champions for the first ever time in their history. He played unbeaten 84 runs knock to help England tie the World Cup final against New Zealand at The Lord’s and then they went on to win the championship in a controversial super over. England will be playing four ODIs against New Zealand at Home and then they will face Ireland in a three-match ODI series to prepare for the World Cup 2023. England will be playing in the World Cup opener against New Zealand at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad on 5th October. 

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