Stokes potential ODI return tops England selectors agenda

Ben Stokes' mooted return to ODI cricket will be top of the agenda as England's selectors meet on Tuesday to pick a provisional squad for the upcoming World Cup in India.

Matthew Mott, England's white-ball coach, said in an interview with the Mail on Sunday that Jos Buttler, their captain, would "lead the way" on communication with Stokes, adding: "We will see if he's keen. There has not been a clear direction on what he's going to do yet, but we are still hopeful."

The Telegraph reported on Monday that Stokes has indicated to England that he is willing to reverse his ODI retirement - which he announced last July - in order to help them defend their 50-over title in October-November, and he is now expected to be named among their provisional squad.

England's selectors meet on Tuesday and will select squads for upcoming T20I and ODI series against New Zealand, and an ODI series against Ireland. They hope to be close to full strength during the New Zealand ODIs, but will use the other series as an opportunity to test their depth. The ECB plan to name squads for the New Zealand series on Wednesday morning.

They are not expected to announce their World Cup squad alongside it. The ICC requires teams to select a provisional squad by September 5 and to finalise their squads by September 28, leaving teams scope to make late changes. While England's final squad will consist of 15 players, along with three travelling reserves, they may follow Australia's lead in naming an initial 18-man group which they then trim down to 15 names closer to the start of the tournament.

If Stokes does return, the main question facing England is whether his inclusion should come at the cost of a spare batter or a spare seamer. All of their main white-ball seamers - including Jofra Archer, who is expected to be named in the provisional squad - have suffered injuries at some stage in the last two years, and picking Stokes alongside only five frontline seam options would be a risk.

Stokes has struggled with a chronic left-knee injury and seems unlikely to be relied upon as a bowler in India, but even a part-time role with the ball would add further flexibility to a versatile squad that is likely to include several other allrounders in Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran and Chris Woakes.