 Former Australia captain Tim Paine has hit out at England all-rounder Ben Stokes for unretiring from ODI cricket ahead of the World Cup. Stokes retired from the 50-over format last year but the allure of playing in another World Cup convinced him to reverse his decision. The 32-year-old will now look to help England defend the World Cup trophy in India, with the tournament starting on October 5 and finishing on November 19. England captain Jos Buttler and white-ball coach Matthew Mott have welcomed the return of Stokes but Paine found the decision 'interesting'. Paine, who captained Australia between 2018 and 2021, has questioned what message Stokes' move would have sent to his England team-mates and says Harry Brook is unfortunate to miss out. Brook has quickly developed into one of England's most exciting players and says he is 'trying not to think about' his omission after being overlooked for a place in the squad. 'Ben Stokes coming out of one day retirement, I found that interesting,' Paine told SEN Tassie. Ex-Australia captain Tim Paine took aim at Stokes (Picture: Getty) 'It was a bit of, 'Me, me, me', wasn't it? It was, 'I'll pick and I'll choose where I want to play and when I want to play', and, 'I'll 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?' 'I don't know, he's not bowling. Harry Brook or Ben Stokes? As a bat. It would be very close, very, very close.' Responding to Paine's criticism of Stokes, ex-England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted: 'Ben Stokes is the most selfless cricketer I have ever known. He puts the team before himself more than any other player. Ridiculous suggestion from Tim.' Meanwhile, discussing Stokes' return to the 50-over set-up, England national selector Luke Wright said: 'It wasn't really a case of changing his mind. He was always interested in coming bac){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Former Australia captain Tim Paine has hit out at England all-rounder Ben Stokes for unretiring from ODI cricket ahead of the World Cup.
Stokes retired from the 50-over format last year but the allure of playing in another World Cup convinced him to reverse his decision.
The 32-year-old will now look to help England defend the World Cup trophy in India, with the tournament starting on October 5 and finishing on November 19.
England captain Jos Buttler and white-ball coach Matthew Mott have welcomed the return of Stokes but Paine found the decision ‘interesting’.