Ben Stokes’ Moeen Ali-inspired ‘Lol’ tweet sends England Cricket into jubilation ahead of ODI World Cup

England all-rounder Ben Stokes confirmed his return to One-Day International cricket on Wednesday, reversing his decision to retire from the sport last year.

Stokes, who helped England win their first ODI World Cup in 2019, has been picked to the squad for the forthcoming ODI series against New Zealand and the World Cup in India later this year. Following the team announcement, the Test captain turned to Twitter and tweeted, 'Lol'.

Notably, the message alluded to his colleague Moeen Ali, who also announced his retirement earlier this year.

Moeen resigned from Test cricket in February 2022, but returned in June 2023 after receiving a text message from Stokes, who was preparing for the Ashes series in Australia at the time.

Stokes had invited Moeen to the Ashes, to which Moeen had responded with a single word: "Lol."

After changing his retirement decision, England all-rounder Ben Stokes declared his return to ODI cricket and World Cup 2023 squad.

Stokes announced his retirement from one-day internationals in July 2022, citing workload and injury concerns. In 105 One-Day Internationals, he has scored 2,924 runs and claimed 74 wickets.

Squads for the 2023 World Cup

Stokes will join the England One-Day International squad for the four-match series against New Zealand, which begins on September 8. Both countries will use the series as a warm-up for the World Cup, which begins on October 18 in India.

England’s Provisional World Cup Squad: Jos Buttler (capt), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes