“Me, Me, Me,” Tim Paine calls Ben Stokes SELFISH as Englishman reverses ODI retirement decision for World Cup

Stokes' decision has been received with mixed reactions from the fans and former Australia skipper Tim Paine called this a selfish move.

“Me, Me, Me,” Tim Paine calls Ben Stokes SELFISH as Englishman reverses ODI retirement decision for World Cup

Ben Stokes, Tim Paine (Image via ESPN)

England’s Test captain Ben Stokes has reversed his ODI retirement decision and will be playing in the upcoming ODI World Cup in India this year. The swashbuckling all-rounder decided to hang his boots from the ODI format due to the tight international schedule for an all-format player. Stokes’ decision has been received with mixed reactions from the fans and former Australia skipper Tim Paine called this a selfish move.

Reports by English media say England coach Matthew Mott and white-ball skipper Jos Buttler had to persuade the 32-year-old to take a U-turn, which Stokes later obliged. Many had anticipated Stokes to stop the rumors by soon taking to social media and declaring the same. But as England Cricket Board (ECB) announced the provisional World Cup squad, one can find Stokes’ name there.

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Tim Paine has been left unimpressed as he called Stokes’ moves selfish, saying Stokes is like a player who is choosing where and when he wants to play, not paying heed to the others who have been playing the format for a year. Stokes’ entertaining the squad means Harry Brook’s exclusion.

“It was a bit of, ‘Me, me, me’, there isn’t it? It was,” Paine told SEN Radio. “The guys who played for 12 months, ‘Sorry, thanks. But can you go and sit on the bench because I want to play now?‘”.

Related: “The moment Dhoni gave up captaincy,” Shoaib Akhtar feels Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli PANIC in World Cups and can’t soak pressure like MS Dhoni

Michael Vaughan slams Tim Paine for his comments on Ben Stokes 

Ben Stokes (Image via ESPN)
Ben Stokes (Image via ESPN)

After Tim Paine’s comments on Ben Stokes, Michael Vaughan slammed the former Aussie captain. Vaughan took to Twitter and called Stokes the most selfless cricketer he has ever known. Vaughan called Paine’s comments “ridiculous” and claimed that Stokes is someone who puts the team before himself more than any other player.

Here’s his tweet on X:

Stokes retired from ODI cricket last July, leaving the cricket fraternity in complete shock. He has exposed himself through clutch performances that he is a big match player. In the 2019 ODI World Cup as well as the 2022 T20 World Cup, Stokes played important innings to guide England to victory. This year, the English team led by Jos Buttler will start their ODI World Cup campaign against New Zealand on October 5 in Ahmedabad.

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