England limited-overs skipper Jos Buttler left it to Ben Stokes to come out of ODI retirement. He said “badgering” the all-rounder would have been counter-productive to getting him back onboard for the upcoming 50-over World Cup.

Jos Buttler said –

“To be honest, it was Ben’s call. You all know Ben pretty well by now – I don’t think anyone talking to him would persuade him.

“We had some conversations quite a while ago about it and just left it to him to come to me, basically, if he wanted to come back. We’re delighted that he feels ready to come back and any time you can welcome him back into the team is great.

Buttler added – “Ben is very much his own man, he makes his own decisions. I’ve played with him for a very long time, I’m good friends with him. Me badgering him and saying ‘come back, come back’ is not really the way things work with Ben. He very much makes up his own mind and decides.

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Buttler further added –

“We had some conversations around it and just left it in his court. I’m sure the lure of playing in a World Cup is quite big for someone as competitive and as driven as he is to play in an England shirt. I’m delighted he felt up to it and could come back.”