"Bring in Ben Stokes even if he is 99% fit" - Irfan Pathan on what England can do after World Cup 2023 loss to Afghanistan

⁹Irfan Pathan believes England should include Ben Stokes in their playing XI for their next game of the ongoing World Cup even if he is not fully fit.

Jos Buttler and Co. suffered a 69-run defeat against Afghanistan in Delhi on Sunday, October 15. They will next face South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, October 21.

While reflecting on England's loss during a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan urged the defending champions to play Stokes in their next outing. He reasoned:

"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."

While acknowledging that England won the last World Cup despite losing to Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Australia in the league phase, the former India all-rounder pointed out that they can't wait to play their best XI. He stated:

"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."

Stokes has missed England's first three World Cup games due to a hip injury. Although Joe Root mentioned in the press conference ahead of the Afghanistan game that the dynamic all-rounder was getting better, he continued to remain on the sidelines.

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"Probably, because he has the experience" - Mohammad Kaif on whether Ben Stokes' presence would have helped England chase down the target

Ben Stokes is known for elevating his game in pressure situations. [P/C: AP]

Mohammad Kaif was asked whether England would have chased down the 285-run target had Ben Stokes been part of the XI, to which he responded:

"Probably, because he has the experience. He has played a lot in India. He has played for many years in the IPL. He has that experience and bats left-handed, so it would have made a difference."

However, the former India batter added that England should have chased down the target even without their Test skipper. He elaborated:

"However, without him as well, you are not talking about 400, 284 is a moderate total on a flat pitch. They had the batting. I can understand Ben Stokes has the experience but they have players apart from him as well. You talk about Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, and they have batting till No. 10."

Pathan added in a lighter vein that anyone not part of the XI is considered a legend. Kaif also chimed in that England might make wholesale changes for the next game.