No T20 World Cup for Ben Stokes

Over the past decade, few English sport stars have enjoyed as many seminal moments as Ben Stokes and the tole it has taken on him physically and mentally has been astronomic. 

As he moves into his 30’s, Stokes has been careful to manage his workload and as a result, he will miss the T20 World Cup. 

Having endured a barren couple of decades in limited overs cricket through the 2000’s and 2010’s, England are now the world leaders in the shorter formats of the game. 
 
With a 2019 ODI World Cup win on home turf, England were able to follow it up with a sensational T20 World Cup triumph in the United Arab Emirates in 2022. 
 
Consequently, they are one of the favourites for glory at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies with many cricket betting sites, but they will have to do it without Ben Stokes. 
 
Sensational Stokes 

The impact that Ben Stokes has had on English cricket over the past 10 years has been huge, with the man from Durham having the ability to change any game with bat, ball and in the field. 
 
Not having him at the T20 World Cup will be a huge loss for England and they know what not being able to call upon the talisman at key moments is sure to have an impact. 
 
For Stokes however, he will want to focus on propelling England to a successful Test summer, with an Ashes winter lined up and he has deemed the trip to America and West Indies a bridge too far. 
 
Who can fill the void? 

Not having Ben Stokes in any cricket team would be a huge miss for any side and England will quickly need to find a way to plug that rather large gap. 
 
With the bat, the likes of Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt and Harry Brook could step into the fold, whilst with the ball, replacing Stokes looks to be a much trickier conundrum. 
 
Regardless of who England turn to, they know that there will be a huge amount of weight on their shoulders, something that they will have to deal with if England are to go all the way in the T20 World Cup. 
 
Back-to-back wins? 

With so many of England’s stars plying their trade in T20 franchise tournaments around the world, the stature of their squad is unquestionable, and they will be amongst the front runners here. 
 
Reigning ODI World Cup winners Australia will be desperate to add a T20 title to their collection, whilst the West Indies will be backed to the hilt by home support in the Caribbean. 
 
India are a side that always turn up when the chips are down and they could be in the mix with many cricket betting sites, whilst the likes of New Zealand, South Africa, and Pakistan will be keen to have their say too.

England will once again be one of the teams to beat at the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies, but they will be defending their title without one of their key men. 
 
Ben Stokes will be prioritising the Test arena for England in 2024 and the Three Lions will have to show resolve to cope in his absence.