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)

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.