England Test captain and dynamic all-rounder Ben Stokes has expressed openness to returning to One-Day Internationals (ODIs) ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy, which is set to take place in Pakistan next year.

The 33-year-old, who retired from ODI cricket during England's home series against South Africa in 2022, had made a brief comeback for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Despite the defending champions’ disappointing performance—exiting early and finishing seventh with just six points from nine matches—Stokes performed commendably. He amassed 304 runs in six games, averaging over 50, including a century.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports, the all-rounder praised the current crop of white-ball talent, with particular emphasis on rising star Jacob Bethell. “This white-ball team has gone in a new direction. We’ve seen some unbelievable talent come through. Jacob Bethell, for example, I think is going to be a superstar," said Stokes.

“I’ve played a lot of white-ball cricket for England, I’m very happy and content with what I’ve achieved in that form of the game,” he added.

When asked about a potential return to England's ODI setup, Stokes didn’t hesitate: “If I am part of the white-ball teams’ plans going forward in any way, shape or form then great. If I get the call, saying ‘do you want to come and play?’ It’s definitely going to be a ‘yes’,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ben is scheduled to undergo a scan next week for a hamstring injury sustained during The Hundred 2024 in August, ahead of England's Test series against Pakistan.

The Three Lions announced their squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against Pakistan, while the hosts recently revealed their 15-player squad for the first Test match of the aforementioned series.

England squad for Pakistan Test series: Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

Pakistan squad for first Test against England: Shan Masood (C), Saud Shakeel (VC), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK), and Shaheen Shah Afridi.