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'I Have a Clarity of Thought': Ben Stokes After his Record-Breaking Hundred vs NZ

image-lmimbn4uBen Stokes scored 182 against New Zealand on Wednesday [X.com]

England's maverick Test skipper Ben Stokes made an unexpected return to One-Day International (ODI) cricket last week, having earlier announced his retirement from the format in July 2022.

Stokes, who primarily wanted to focus on Test and T20 cricket, made a thumping comeback, slamming England's highest individual men's ODI score last evening against New Zealand. The Test skipper struck a 124-ball 182 in the third match of the series, helping England take a 2-1 lead.

With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in sight, Stokes' return for the Three Lions is a blessing, given the all-rounder's ability to produce magic on the field. After the match, Stokes did reveal that an ODI return has been in the plans and that the star player had made up his mind during the iconic 'Ashes 2023' series.  

Here's what Stokes said

 "Obviously I've been asked a lot about my knee over a long period of time, so I just said that to leave it. I knew that I'd be playing in these games and potentially in the World Cup then when I said that, but it was just the easiest thing to say that and put you [the press] off the radar.

I didn't really know [about the record] until the bloke on the tannoy announced it - then I got out next ball,"

As quoted by ESPNcricinfo, the CSK player explained how playing as a specialist batter changes his approach moving forward.

"This is the first time that I've been clear in my mind that that's the one thing I can focus on. I think over the last 18 months, every day has been, 'will I bowl, will I not bowl?' Now, I know that I can just focus on that… that's my thing for the team now. Having that clarity in my head contributes to that."

The fourth and final ODI will be played on Friday at Lord's.