Over the years, England talisman Ben Stokes has proved himself to be one of the most sensational all-rounders in the world. The power of his willow, along with his ability to cause considerable damage with lethal deliveries, convinced the England Cricket Board (ECB) to appoint him as the full-time skipper of England’s men’s Test cricket squad.
Ben Stokes, who was born on 4 June 1991 in New Zealand, moved to England at the age of 12 years after his father got appointed as the head coach of an English Rugby team. In 2011, he made his first international appearance for England in a One Day International match against Ireland. A month later, he featured in an International T20 against West Indies. Two years down the line he made his Test debut in the Ashes 2013-14 edition.
The English all-rounder has flourished in every form of the game. He has played 79 Tests and 101 ODIs for England, recording 5,061 and 2,871 runs respectively in the formats. He also has an impressive 130-plus strike rate in the shortest format of cricket and has played for different franchises in several T20 leagues across the world. Stokes has scalped 174 wickets in Test matches and 74 wickets in ODIs so far.
On his 31st birthday today, let’s take a ride through the Durham all-rounder’s top performances:
ICC Champions Trophy 2017 (102 runs off 109 deliveries vs Australia): In a crucial group stage tie in the 2017’s Champions Trophy, Ben Stokes, along with skipper Eoin Morgan, went hard on the Mitchel Starc and Josh Hazlewood-led bowling attack. Chasing down 278 runs, the combined efforts of the duo took the side to the semi-final and Stokes finally registered his maiden ODI hundred after a long 45-match wait. He powered through the innings with 13 boundaries and 2 maximums.
Bangladesh Test Tour 2016 (4 for 26, 2 for 20 and 85 runs vs Bangladesh): The Test series against Bangladesh had shown everyone Stokes’ capabilities in the white jersey. He picked up 4 wickets in the first innings and then smashed 85 runs in the second innings to help put up a mammoth target of 285 runs in front of the Tigers. When Bangladesh were within touching distance of the victory, Stokes came in to the attack and scalped two quick wickets in three balls to lead his team to victory.
South Africa Test Tour 2020 (3 wickets for 35 runs vs South Africa): Ben Stokes proved dangerous for South Africa in the final phase of the New Year Test at Newlands. While defending 438 runs in the fourth innings, the English bowling unit had brought down Proteas to 237/7, when Stokes got the remaining work done. With the combination of pace, reverse swing and extra bounce, he got the important wickets of Dwaine Pretorius and Anrich Nortje in two consecutive deliveries. When the pressure was evident in the English camp, Stokes put the final nail in the coffin with the wicket of Vernon Philander. England clinched victory in the encounter, with a few minutes to spare before the day’s end.
ICC Cricket World Cup Final 2019 (84 runs vs New Zealand): Among all his white-ball innings, the best one came on the final stage of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup at Lord’s. With a target of 242 runs, England was 4-down at 86 when Stokes and Jos Buttler joined hands to steer the innings. The duo stitched a 110-run partnership till Buttler left the crease. Stokes held his nerve and smashed two sixes against Trent Boult in the final over. The match ended in a tie. After the super over also ended at an equal score, England snatched the win based on the boundary count.
Ashes 2019 (135 runs vs Australia): The third Ashes Test in 2019 will always remain special for Ben Stokes. From 3 runs off 72 balls, he went on to provide a counter-attack and showcased some brilliant strikes. He not only recorded a ton but also helped England record their maiden 350-run chase in a Test match.
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