Ben Stokes has been named ICC Test Cricketer of the Year 2022.
The England Men’s captain has been sensational in the format since taking over the leadership ahead of the English summer, winning nine of his 10 games in charge and revitalising team’s fortunes.
Across 15 matches in 2022, Stokes scored 870 runs at an average of 36.25, hitting two hundreds and four 50s. His assertive batting style saw him net 26 sixes across the year and just short of 100 fours.
With the ball, he took 26 wickets at 31.19, giving away less than three runs per over in the process.
But it was his captaincy that set Stokes apart even more. Alongside new coach Brendon McCullum, the Durham all-rounder oversaw a revolution in the way Test cricket is played.
In the historic 3-0 series victory in Pakistan before Christmas, Stokes’s side averaged 5.50 runs per over, and the attacking batting was matched by the captain’s assertive decision-making.
An inspired declaration by Stokes in a high-scoring affair in Rawalpindi gave England the time to win the match as the sun was setting, in what will go down as one of England’s greatest away wins.