Tim Paine, a former captain of Australia, has cast doubt on England all-rounder Ben Stokes' decision to return to one-day international play, claiming that the England Test captain has made the decision solely for personal gain.

Stokes is back - this is undoubtedly good news for the England team. But at the same time, 24-year-old young cricketer Harry Brook has to be left out due to Stokes’ return. This young man himself is disappointed.

Stokes' return has been talked about for a long time. Especially limited-overs captain Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott (England coach) wanted Stokes to play in the World Cup. However, Paine sees Stokes' return as 'selfishness' before an event like the World Cup. In an interview with SEN Tassie, Paine said,

“Ben Stokes coming out of one day retirement, I found that interesting. It was a bit of, ‘Me, me, me’, there isn’t it? It was, ‘I’ll pick and I’ll choose where I want to play and when I want to play’, and, ‘I’ll play in the big tournaments’,” Paine said.

England have played 11 matches since Stokes retired from ODIs. Brooke played in three of those matches. It was difficult for selector Luke Wright to drop a young cricketer like Brook.

Meanwhile, there is uncertainty about whether Stokes will bowl when he returns. He got injured in the Ashes. However, Buttler and head coach Mott agreed to play him as a specialist batter. Paine said Brook and Stokes' batting is close.

“I don’t know, he’s not bowling. Harry Brook or Ben Stokes? As a bat. It would be very close, very, very close,” Paine added.