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Stokes Rules Himself Out of England's T20 World Cup Title Defense

FILE - England’s captain Ben Stokes prepares to bowl on the second day of the fifth and final test match between England and India in Dharamshala, India, Friday, March 8, 2024. Stokes ruled himself out of England’s defense of the Twenty20 World Cup title in June. Stokes made himself unavailable on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, hoping it will “be a sacrifice that allows me to be the allrounder I want to be for the foreseeable future.”(AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)
FILE - England’s captain Ben Stokes prepares to bowl on the second day of the fifth and final test match between England and India in Dharamshala, India, Friday, March 8, 2024. Stokes ruled himself out of England’s defense of the Twenty20 World Cup title in June. Stokes made himself unavailable on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, hoping it will “be a sacrifice that allows me to be the allrounder I want to be for the foreseeable future.”(AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)
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Stokes Rules Himself Out of England's T20 World Cup Title Defense

FILE - England’s captain Ben Stokes prepares to bowl on the second day of the fifth and final test match between England and India in Dharamshala, India, Friday, March 8, 2024. Stokes ruled himself out of England’s defense of the Twenty20 World Cup title in June. Stokes made himself unavailable on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, hoping it will “be a sacrifice that allows me to be the allrounder I want to be for the foreseeable future.”(AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)
FILE - England’s captain Ben Stokes prepares to bowl on the second day of the fifth and final test match between England and India in Dharamshala, India, Friday, March 8, 2024. Stokes ruled himself out of England’s defense of the Twenty20 World Cup title in June. Stokes made himself unavailable on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, hoping it will “be a sacrifice that allows me to be the allrounder I want to be for the foreseeable future.”(AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)

Test captain Ben Stokes has ruled himself out of England's T20 World Cup title defense, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced Tuesday.

The 32-year-old said he was skipping the tournament in the United States and the West Indies to make sure he could be a fully-fledged all-rounder in Test cricket.

"Opting out of the IPL (Indian Premier League) and the (T20) World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future," Stokes said in an ECB statement.

Stokes's withdrawal was something of a surprise given that, when asked last month if he would participate in the T20 World Cup in June, he said he had "not even thought about that but I'm available".

It is understood Stokes has not suffered any setbacks after briefly returning to bowling last month during a Test tour of India where England lost a five-match series 4-1.

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Zelenskiy Lauds Champion Usyk’s Perseverance in Victory over Fury in Riyadh

Boxers Britain's Tyson Fury, right, and Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk compete during their WBA, WBO, and WBC world heavyweight title fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP)
Boxers Britain's Tyson Fury, right, and Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk compete during their WBA, WBO, and WBC world heavyweight title fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP)
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Zelenskiy Lauds Champion Usyk’s Perseverance in Victory over Fury in Riyadh

Boxers Britain's Tyson Fury, right, and Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk compete during their WBA, WBO, and WBC world heavyweight title fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP)
Boxers Britain's Tyson Fury, right, and Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk compete during their WBA, WBO, and WBC world heavyweight title fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed Oleksandr Usyk's victory over Tyson Fury to retain the WBA (Super), WBO and WBC world heavyweight titles in Riyadh, saying the boxer embodied the fighting spirit of Ukrainians.

Undefeated Usyk, who took Fury's WBC belt in their first bout in May, beat the British two-time world champion in the rematch by unanimous decision, handing him the second loss of his professional career.

"Victory! So important and so needed by all of us right now," Zelenskiy, who had led Ukraine in its war with Russia since Moscow invaded its neighbor in 2022, wrote on X.

"By defending his championship belt, Oleksandr Usyk proves: we are Ukrainians and we will not give up what is ours! No matter how hard it gets - we will overcome everything.

"Whether it is in the ring, on the battlefield or in the diplomatic arena - we will fight and we will not give up what is ours! Congratulations on your victory, Cossack! Congratulations on your victory, Ukraine!"

Former world champion Wladimir Klitschko, who enlisted in the Ukrainian military reserves before Russia's invasion, was at the Kingdom Arena to witness Usyk's victory.

"Ukraine is fortunate to have you. You're a true standard-bearer of our resilience... glory to Ukraine," Klitschko wrote on X.