'No point sugar-coating': Ben Stokes sums up England's disastrous World Cup 2023 campaign

England's Test captain, Ben Stokes has reflected on the team's performance thus far in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, noting that they haven't exactly looked like the reigning champions. With just one victory so far, Jos Buttler and company are mired at the bottom of the standings. 

3 things you need to know

• England have had a tough World Cup 2023 campaign
• The team has lost 6 of the matches it has played and is lingering at the bottom of the table
• Ben Stokes has looked off colour for England

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Ben Stokes laments England's poor run in ICC ODI World Cup 2023

Following an underwhelming loss to New Zealand in Ahmedabad on the opening day, England's campaign never really got going. They will now visit the same location once more to take on Australia, their bitter rivals who, to make matters worse, are riding high after winning their last four games.

The reigning champions' hopes of holding the title and possibly even competing in the Champions Trophy 2023 have been severely harmed by problems with their strategy, injuries, and form. 

"We've had a disastrous World Cup and there's no point sugar-coating that because it's the truth. But we know these last three games, for us, we've got a lot to play for."

He continued:

"The problem is that we've been (explicit). Every opportunity that we've had in front of us where we feel like we can take control of the game, the opposition's managed to get it back towards them. We've been nowhere near good enough to be able to compete in a World Cup, which has been incredibly disappointing because we know we're so, so much better than what we've shown out here."

Ben Stokes came out of retirement from the One-Day International circuit to play for England in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Due to a hip niggle, he was forced to miss the first game and hasn't had much of an impact on the game in his four appearances thus far. In the tournament, the all-rounder has amassed 48 runs. In the match against India, he was cleaned up by Mohammed Shami on a duck.

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Ben Stokes to undergo surgery after World Cup 2023

Stokes' inability to contribute with the ball has severely compromised England's balance in the World Cup 2023. With a hectic season lurking, Ben Stokes has announced that he will undergo knee surgery following the 2023 World Cup.

The all-rounder bowled just one over in the entire IPL 2023 season, missing most of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) successful campaign. In the Ashes series that followed, his presence with the bat was felt incessantly, however, with the ball he could only make an impact in the first two matches and did not conjure the responsibility in the remaining matches.