Kuldeep Yadav continued his great form for Yorkshire after dismissing former England Test captain Ben Stokes in their Metro Bank One-Day Cup clash against Durham on Friday. The Indian left-arm wrist-spinner removed Stokes for a scratchy 12 off 38 balls, with the wicket and its video soon going viral across social media.
Yadav was outstanding throughout his 10-over spell, finishing with figures of 2/23. After picking up the wicket of Ben Stokes, he struck again to dismiss Colin Ackermann for 26 as Durham were bowled out for 165. Yorkshire completed a comfortable seven-wicket chase despite losing both their openers early. Kuldeep has been excellent in this tournament making an impact in every match he has played so far.
The left arm wrist-spinner was not picked in the team during the recent ODI series against England. Despite being the senior spinner in the squad, Kuldeep found it tough to break into the team. He will be part of the upcoming Sri Lanka Test series and is expected to join Team India in the coming week. His stint at Yorkshire has been very successful and he has reminded the fans yet again about his skills.
Rob Key backs Ben Stokes to reverse retirement for the Ashes
A few days back, England director of cricket Rob Key said he expects Stokes to reverse his retirement decision for next year’s Ashes at home. "It would be a brilliant story if he does," Key told Sky Sports News. "He hasn't [indicated a change of heart], but I wouldn't be surprised. Anything is possible with Ben," he added.
Former England captain Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket following England's third Test defeat to New Zealand in June. He had missed the second Test of the 2-1 series loss while an investigation was carried out into an incident at a London nightclub after he breached the team's midnight curfew.
Although the all-rounder was later found blameless in the incident, Stokes admitted the controversy had "added" to his thoughts about bringing the curtain down on his illustrious international career.
With Stephen Fleming set to take charge as England's new head coach, it will be interesting to see whether Ben Stokes reverses his retirement decision and returns for next year's Ashes. Stokes has done it before, having come out of ODI retirement to represent England at the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
