There’s no denying that Ben Stokes is one of the greatest cricketers of the modern game. Blessed with a generational talent, the New Zealand-born player has become one of England’s all-time greats, inspiring the next generation with his supreme performances.
Stokes’ career is littered with memorable moments, from match-winning contributions to personal milestones. As England captain, his current responsibility is to try and drag England back from the brink in the Ashes odds.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of Stokes’ most impressive achievements.
Cricket World Cup glory
Stokes’ crowning moment was undoubtedly England’s Cricket World Cup triumph back in 2019. Looking destined for defeat against New Zealand, Stokes came up with the goods in the final few balls to force a super over, which he took part in with Jos Buttler. England eventually came out on top, earning Stokes much fanfare across the country as England won the Cricket World Cup for the first time.
The day of the final has gone down in history as one of the greatest days in sporting history. While the drama was unfolding at Lord’s, the Wimbledon final a few miles away was producing similar excitement between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Stokes’ name will forever be tied to that special day in British sport.
Ashes-saving century
Later in 2019, Stokes would make the headlines once again, this time for his heroics in the Ashes. In the Third Test at Headingley, England looked dead in the water after being bowled out for 67 in the first innings. However, Stokes had other ideas, producing a stunning 135* as England chased down a record pursuit of 359.
It was a stunning contribution, and one that ultimately helped secure England a Series draw, avoiding a first Series loss on home soil since 2001. Stokes hit another century and two further 50s in that Series, continuing his purple patch from the Cricket World Cup earlier in the summer.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
Those summer ’19 heroics led to Stokes being installed as a firm favourite for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award that year, and he duly won the top prize. His victory made him the first cricketer to win the award since Freddie Flintoff in 2005.
Winning the accolade proved just how much the British public had taken Stokes to their hearts during that summer of 2019. His achievements that year will go down as some of the greatest in cricket history.
Becoming England captain
In April 2022, Stokes was named as England men’s Test captain, taking over from Joe Root who he had served as understudy for many years. In collaboration with head coach Brendon McCullum, Stokes played a key role in developing a new, attacking style of play known as ‘Bazball’.
The first test of his captaincy was a three-game series against New Zealand that summer, which England won 3-0. This was followed by a 2-1 series win over South Africa later in the year, where Stokes was named player of the series.
The crowning honour for Stokes was leading England out for the 2023 Ashes series on home soil, and there’s still a chance he could lead his side to victory before the series is out.
