On Thursday, January 26th, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that England all-rounder Ben Stokes has won the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year award. Stokes, who is 32 years old, outdueled his teammates including Jonny Bairstow, Usman Khawaja and Kagiso Rabada, as well as Australian pitcher Usman Khawaja, to win the prestigious award.
Last year, Stokes took over as England’s Test captain from Joe Root and led the team to victory in series against Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand. In 15 Test matches last year, Stokes scored 870 runs at an average of 36.25, including four fifties and a few centuries. As a bowler, he took 26 wickets overall at an average of 31.19, with his best innings figures of 4/33.
In 89 Test matches, Stokes has a total of 5,602 runs at an average of 36.14, including 12 centuries and 28 fifties. He holds the record for the joint-most sixes by any batsman with 107 in Tests. He has also taken 193 wickets in this format with four five-wicket hauls.
Leading from the front 🌟
England’s inspirational captain is the recipient of the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year 2022 Award 🏅#ICCAwards
— ICC (@ICC) January 26, 2023
It’s worth noting that earlier this month, Stokes was also named captain of the ICC Test team of the year, which included other Englishmen James Anderson and Jonny Bairstow. The team also featured players such as Usman Khawaja, Kraigg Brathwaite, Marnus Labuschagne, Babar Azam, Rishabh Pant and Pat Cummins among others.
The ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year award is an annual award given by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to the best male Test cricketer of the year. Stokes was chosen for the award after outdueling his teammates and other international players in the Test format.
Since taking the helm as England’s skipper, Stokes has been killin’ it on the field. Under his leadership, the team has racked up a 9-1 record in Test matches, with series victories over heavyweights like New Zealand and South Africa on home soil. They even pulled off a surprise win against India in the postponed Test, leveling the series 2-2, and absolutely crushed Pakistan 3-0 in their own backyard – the best margin of victory England has ever achieved in that country. This guy’s captaincy has been on fire, and it’s exciting to see where he’ll take the team next.
Ben Stokes played a crucial role in England’s Test matches last year, both as a batsman and a bowler. As a batsman, he played in 15 Test matches, scoring 870 runs at an average of 36.25, with four fifties and a few centuries.
