The England all-rounder Ben Stokes has asked to not be considered for selection for this summer’s T/20 World Cup to focus on his fitness.

Stokes says he wants to use the break to ensure he can be the all-rounder he wants to be across all formats.

The 32 year old England captain had knee surgery over the winter and bowled just five overs during the recent five-test series in India and has already opted out of the Indian Premier League, which began last month.

England are defending champions of the T/20 World Cup, which takes place in the West Indies and United States in June. 

The English men begin the defense of the trophy against Scotland in Barbados on June 4, at the Kensington Oval, before facing Australia, Oman, and Namibia in group b’.

The T/20 World Cup tournament is followed by a home test series for England against the west Indies and Sri Lanka, before a T/20 and one-day series against Australia in September.