ODI World Cup 2023 door not still open for Harry Brook, says England captain Buttler

Despite failing to make the original 15-man roster for the 50-overs cricket showcase event in India later this year, England captain Jos Buttler claimed Harry Brook might still be a part of the team's championship defence.

With Ben Stokes back in the team after reversing his one-day retirement, England omitted Brook, whose explosive hitting was on display on Tuesday when he smashed a 41-ball century in The Hundred competition.

However, the 24-year-old is scheduled to travel to India as a reserve player, and England has until September 28 to revise its provisional roster.

"There's still a long time before everyone's supposed to board the plane, so we'll see what happens," Buttler said on Friday.

"We all know Harry is a fantastic player, and we saw what he was capable of the other night." It's hardly a surprise; we all know what a fantastic player he is.

"He's just the unfortunate one right now because he's not in that squad." Ben Stokes' return and availability as a batter alters the dynamic slightly."

Test captain Stokes, a crucial architect of England's World Cup success in 2019 (ODI) and 2022 (T20), announced his surprise ODI retirement in July last year, citing his workload. But he changed his mind this month and was named to the forthcoming home series against New Zealand.

England is delighted to welcome him back into the ODI squad, despite the fact that the talismanic all-rounder, who has been dealing with a nagging knee injury, will play as a specialist hitter.

"Ben's a fantastic player to be able to welcome back," added Buttler.

"It's a really difficult selection; there have been players who have performed exceptionally well over a period of time, and that's where we are right now."

England will begin its title defence against New Zealand in a rematch of the 2019 final on October 5 in Ahmedabad.