'Bring In Ben Stokes Even If He Is 99% Fit' - Irfan Pathan's Advice To England
Ben Stokes in nets [X.com]
Hot favorites to defend their championship title, England have had a worrying start to their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, having won one and lost two matches.
Their last defeat against Afghanistan in Delhi on Sunday has raised massive doubt over Jos Buttler and Co.'s capabilities to handle the tag of defending champions and also play BazBall cricket in Indian conditions.
The unavailability of Test skipper Ben Stokes has only added to the problems, who is currently racing against time to get fit for South Africa clash on October 21.
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Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has u team management to field Stokes in their upcoming clash at Mumbai even if the cricketer is 99 percent fit.
Here's what Pathan said
"Bring in Ben Stokes even if he is 99% fit. You need him. You brought him for his experience. They won't have a chance to come back if they lose the next match. It won't happen every time."
As quoted by Sportskeeda, the 2007 T20 and 2011 WC winning player, explained how England can still make a comeback in the tournament, drawing inspiration from the 2019 edition.
"In the 2019 World Cup, England lost three matches. They lost to Sri Lanka, Pakistan and one more match. They became the world champions despite that. So it's not that everything is over but if they get too late in playing their main team and their better bowlers, they will not be able to catch the wagon."
The high-voltage England-South Africa clash will take place in Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
 "Vishal Mehra")
