The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is all but over for England, and Steve Harmison wants Ben Stokes to be sent home and work on his recovery, as the star all-rounder is set to undergo surgery to address his long-standing left knee problem.

England has couple of matches to go in the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023, and Harmison feels Stokes must prioritize his recovery to be fully fit for the much-awaited Test series against India in January 2024.

England’s Test skipper will go under the knife after the CWC 2023. As England has already been eliminated from the ODI World Cup 2023, Harmison feels Stokes should take adequate time to recover after the surgery, as he has a tight schedule ahead of him.

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Steve Harmison was quoted as saying by PA News Agency: “You never know what they are going to find with a big op, or what the rehab looks like. So, give yourself the extra time because it could be the difference between being fully fit for the first Test or the third.”

He continued, “The single most important person in that Test set-up is Ben Stokes. They need their leader and that's why he has to go home. This tour is going to be twice as hard as the Ashes given the conditions, so he's going to be more important than ever.”

Harmison said England’s director of cricket, Rob Key, should give Stokes a ticket to return home from India. He added, “I'm sure that conversation has been had but it needs strong leadership. It needs someone to say, 'Ben, you're going home. Here's a ticket, there's the plane, get on it'.”

He signed off by saying, “I think Rob Key, as director of cricket, should probably take that decision and if I was (Test coach) Brendon McCullum I'd be doing everything I could to encourage him.”