‘Let’s not be timid’: Ben Stokes issues rallying cry before his England return

Struggling team face South Africa in World Cup on SaturdayStokes has missed first three matches in India with hip injury

Ben Stokes has declared himself available for selection for England’s crucial World Cup game against South Africa on Saturday and called on the team to bring less blunder and more thunder to their remaining displays in the competition, telling his teammates: “If we’re going to go down, let’s go down doing what we’re known for.”

Stokes spoke in the dressing room after the team’s shock defeat to Afghanistan on Sunday, their second in three games and, having memorably described a 0-2 Ashes deficit as a “perfect situation” in the summer, is also seeing their current predicament as an opportunity. “Sometimes I feel like pointing out the worst but saying it in a way that reinforces people to go out there and do what we want them to do, or what Jos [Buttler, the England captain] wants them to do,” he said.

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