Ben Stokes

Born on June 04, 1991, in Christchurch, New Zealand, Benjamin Andrew Stokes is a seam-bowling all-rounder who plays for the English cricket team.  He came through the ranks when he represented the England Under-19 team at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2010.

Stokes has been a vital cog for the Englishmen across formats and has turned up to churn the team out of crunch situations, standing tall to defy the odds. His multi-dimensional skillset means that he would go down as not only one of England’s greatest all-rounders but also as one of the greatest to play the sport.

Ben Stokes: Along the Years

Ben Stokes Records

• Fastest 250 in Tests (196 balls)

• Most runs in a Test innings at No. 6 (258 runs)

• Most runs in the first session of a day in Tests (130 runs)

• Stitched the highest Test partnership of 399 runs with Jonny Bairstow against South Africa for the sixth wicket 

• Second-fastest Test double hundred in terms of balls faced.

• Second-highest number of sixes in a Test inning (11)

• Second cricketer to score 4,000 runs and take 100 wickets in Tests for England after Ian Botham

• Highest number of sixes in a County Championship innings – 17 (for Durham against Worcestershire in May 2022)

• First captain to win a Test match without batting, bowling, or wicketkeeping in Test history

• Highest individual score by an Englishman in ODIs (182)

• First English cricketer to score 10,000 runs and take 100 wickets in international cricket

• First English cricketer to score 6,000 runs and take 200 wickets in Tests 

• Third cricketer to score 6,000 runs take 200 wickets in Tests after Sir Garfield Sobers (WI) and Jacques Kallis (SA)

• Fastest Test half-century for England (24 balls)

• Joint-third fastest half-century in Tests

Ben Stokes Awards and Accolades

• ‘Player’s Player of the Year at the Professional Cricketers’ Association Awards in October 2013.

• Most Valuable Player (MVP) in IPL 2017

• Named in ICC Team of the Tournament in ICC Champions Trophy 2017

• Named in ICC Test and ODI Team of the Year 2017

• Named in ICC ODI Team of the Year 2018

• Player Of The Match’ in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 final

• Named in 'Team of the Tournament' in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

• Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Player of the Year 2019

•  Freedom of the Borough of Allerdale 

• BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019 in Aberdeen

• Named ICC No. 1 Test all-rounder in 2020

• Named in ICC Test Team of the Decade in 2020

• Named in ICC ODI Team of the Decade in 2020

• Office of the Order of British Empire (OBE) in the New Year 2020 Honors

• ICC Men’s Test Cricketer Of The Year 2022

• Captain of ICC Test Team of the Year 2022

• Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World 2020, 2021 and 2023

Ben Stokes Career

Born in New Zealand, Ben Stokes moved to England when he was 12. His talent was evident from an early age. Being an attacking left-handed batter who can provide breakthroughs with the ball makes Stokes an indispensable player for any team he plays for.

Ben Stokes Domestic Career

Ben Stokes made his List-A debut for Durham against Surrey at The Oval in the Friends Provident Trophy 2009. He scored 11 runs with the bat and took a couple of wickets with the ball on his domestic debut. That year he also played in two youth Tests against Bangladesh U-19. 

His first-class (FC) debut came for Durham against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in Abu Dhabi in March 2010. He scored a half-century on FC debut as Durham won by a colossal margin of  311 runs. The same year he made his Championship debut for Durham against Essex. He made his maiden first-class ton against Nottinghamshire. 

Stokes made his T20 debut for Durham against Lancashire in the Friends Provident T20 2010.

In January 2015, Ben Stokes joined Australia’s Big Bash League side Melbourne Renegades.

He staged his superior best when he returned to play for Durham against Worcestershire in the County Championship 2022, smashing 161 off just 88 balls and hitting one short of six maximums (34 runs) in a single over. 

The 33-year-old all-rounder holds the record for the highest number of sixes in that innings, a stunning total of 17 sixes.

Stokes represents the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred 2024. He has injured his hamstring, leading him to miss the rest of the English summer.

In the SA20, MI Cape Town has signed the Englishman’s services as an overseas player for the upcoming SA20 2025.

Ben Stokes IPL Career

Ben Stokes was bought by the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant for INR 14.5 crores in the IPL 2017 auction. He scored his maiden T20 century when he smashed an unbeaten 103 against the now-defunct Gujarat Lions. He won the ‘Most Valuable Player’ 2017 for his all-round performance of scoring 316 runs with the bat and 12 wickets with the ball.

In the 2017 season, Stokes was awarded the ‘Player of The Match’ trophy a total of three times in 14 matches. Ben Stokes was the most expensive player in the 2018 IPL auction as he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for INR 12.5 crores

Stokes played 13 matches in 2018, scoring 196 runs and taking eight wickets. In 2019 and 2020, playing for the Rajasthan Royals, Stokes played only 9 and 8 matches, respectively. He scored his second IPL century on October 25, 2020, in a game against Mumbai Indians. Stokes played only one match in IPL 2021 and did not play in 2022. 

However, he was sold to Chennai Super Kings for a whopping INR 16.25 crores in the IPL 2023 auction, the franchise’s highest-ever bid in an IPL auction. However, due to injury concerns, Stokes only managed to play a couple of matches and flew back to England due to fitness issues. This ruled him out of IPL 2024.

Ben Stokes International Career

From making his one-day debut against Surrey in 2009 to helping his country win their maiden World Cup in 2019, Ben Stokes has come a long way. He is widely regarded as one of the most expressive all-rounders of the modern era.

Ben Stokes ODI Career

Ben Stokes made his ODI debut against Ireland in 2011. His next ODI series was against India. His injury during the series prevented him from bowling and he was picked as a batter only.

In 2012, Stokes did not play a single game for the England cricket team due to injury, lack of form, and other issues related to discipline. Stokes was again picked up for the ODI squad in the first ODI against West Indies in 2014.

Later that year, Stokes was part of the squad for the series against India. He was dropped after the two matches but was recalled for the final match of the series, in which he took 3 wickets in addition to making 33 runs.

His performance with both the bat and ball improved in the ODI series against New Zealand in 2015.

He helped his team win the series decider by taking 3 wickets for 52 runs.

Ben Stokes’ impressive performance in the 2017 Champions Trophy saw him named a part of the ‘Team of the Tournament.' For his performances, he was named in the World ODI XI by the ICC for 2017 and 2018.

In April 2019, Ben Stokes was selected to represent England in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. He picked up a stunning catch of Andile Phehlukwayo in deep mid-wicket in the opening match against South Africa, which also echoed the famous words "You cannot do that, Ben Stokes!" of Nasser Hossain in the commentary box.

Stokes played a crucial role in making England the World Champions, especially in the final.

Stokes scored 84 not out and help tied the match and then again batted in the Super Over, where the score got tied again but England won on the boundary count rule. He was named for the tournament team by the ICC.

After the Cricket World Cup 2019, Ben Stokes next featured in an ODI against India on 23 March 2021. Stokes played three matches against the Indians, taking four wickets and scoring 135 runs, including one knock of 99. 

His next series was in July against Pakistan. He failed to pick up any wickets in the three matches but was able to score a total of 54 runs.

Stokes’ next series came a year later, in July 2022, against India in England. In the three matches, Stokes did not get much opportunity with the ball. With the bat, he was unimpressive as well, scoring only 48 runs.

On 19 July 2022, after playing an ODI against South Africa, Ben Stokes shocked the cricketing world when he announced his retirement from the format. As stated by him, the reason behind his early retirement from ODI cricket was that he couldn’t sustain playing in all three formats and wanted to focus more on T20I and Test cricket.

However, Stokes reversed the decision of his ODI retirement and was available for selection for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 to be held in India. In his return to ODIs, he played the home series against New Zealand as a preparatory measure for the all-rounder ahead of the CWC. In the third ODI, he pummelled the New Zealand bowlers and registered the highest individual score by an English batter in ODIs (182 off just 124 balls).

Though the defending champions had a disastrous campaign in CWC 2023, Stokes had a good run with the bat, scoring 304 runs in 6 innings at an average of 50.66, including a stunning maiden CWC century that came against the Netherlands, where he stitched a partnership of 121 runs for the seventh wicket with Chris Woakes and helped England post a comprehensive total of 339 for the loss of 9 wickets and eventually won the match by a massive margin of 160 runs.

Stokes wanted to take a call on his ODI future post his knee surgery after the culmination of the ICC CWC 2023.

Ben Stokes Test Career

Ben Stokes made his Test debut against Australia in the second Test of the 2013-14 Ashes series. In England’s second innings of the third Test of the series, he made his maiden Test century, scoring 120 off 195 balls. Although England was whitewashed, Stokes showed strong all-round performance in the series scoring 279 runs and taking 15 wickets. The next major Test series for Stokes was against the Indian national cricket team in 2014. His poor performance with the bat in the first two Tests saw him getting dropped from the team for the rest of the series.

Ben Stokes was recalled to the side to tour the West Indies. Stokes’ performance in the tournament was nowhere near what was expected from him. Despite his poor performance, Stokes was retained in the tea for the Test series against New Zealand. In the second innings of the first Test of the series, Ben Stokes recorded the fastest-ever Test century at Lord’s and the second-fastest by an England batsman. He took only 85 balls to reach the 100-run mark. Stokes was selected for the 2015 Ashes. His performance in the series was a mixed bag as England went on to win the series 3-2.

The same year, Stokes was selected for the tour against Pakistan in the UAE. Stokes performed well in the first match of the series, scoring a half-century and taking four wickets. In the third and final match, he suffered a shoulder injury. Ben Stokes recovered fully from the injury and was selected for the tour against South Africa in 2015-16. 

In the second match of the series, Stokes made 258 runs from 167 balls, his career-best performance in the Tests. It was also the second-fastest double-century in the history of Test cricket. In the passage of this innings, he forged a partnership of 399 runs with Jonny Bairstow for the sixth wicket, which was a new world record. Stokes took five wickets in both the third and the fourth match of the series.

In 2016, Stokes was selected for the Test series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Stokes picked up an injury in the first match of the series against Sri Lanka and was ruled out of the rest of the series. Stokes made a recovery and returned to action in the second Test against Pakistan. Following this series, he played against India in 2016-17. He scored a century on the first test against India. ICC named him in the World Test XI for the years 2016 and 2017.

In 2018, Stokes played a couple of series against India and Sri Lanka. Against India, Stokes bowled brilliantly in the first Test, taking a total of 6 wickets. Stokes played another three matches against India, took another eight wickets, and scored 173 runs.

After performing splendidly in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, Stokes once again proved his mettle in the 2019 Ashes. He played a crucial role in drawing the series 2-2 by scoring 135 not out while chasing a target of 359 runs to help England win the match from an almost certain loss.

A couple of months later, Stokes played three games against Sri Lanka, scoring two fifty-plus scores. Next, in 2019, Stokes played the Ashes series. In the first match, Stokes took four wickets and scored a half-century. Then, in the next game at Lord’s, Stokes scored a fabulous century, for which he was awarded the player of the match. Stokes, in the third match, played one of the best matches ever in Test history.

He scored a fabulous unbeaten 135 to help England chase down a target of 359 and win the match with one wicket to spare. In 2020, Stokes scored a half-century and a brilliant century against South Africa. Next, against the West Indies, Stokes scored 176 runs in a single inning and 78 in the next one.

Next, in an away series against India, Stokes played four matches. Against India, he had a couple of fifty-plus scores and took a total of five wickets. In the following series against Australia in the Ashes, Stokes took four wickets and had a couple of 60-plus scores.

Then, in the West Indies series in 2022, Stokes scored a century. After the West Indies series, Joe Root gave up his captaincy role, and Stokes was appointed as the new Test captain of England. In his first Test series as captain, Stokes won the series and scored a couple of half-centuries. 

Then, in a one-off match against India in July, Stokes took five wickets, scored 25 runs, and led his team to a victory. He scored a ton against South Africa and also took a total of ten wickets in three matches. Under the coaching of veteran New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Brendon McCullum, Stokes formed a meaty partnership with his new-found mentor, which was eventually coined as ‘Bazball’ for England’s new approach of playing an aggressive brand of cricket in Tests, something that the erstwhile New Zealand batter had implemented in his playing days. 

In June 2023, in a one-off Test match against Ireland, Stokes registered a unique feat of winning a Test match as a skipper without batting, bowling, or wicketkeeping in Test history. In the second Test of Ashes 2023, he showed glimpses of his Headingley innings when he led from the front as a captain in the fourth innings by scoring a valiant 155, but he fell short by 43 runs. 

In England’s tour of India 2024, Stokes struggled to get going after the first Test where he scored 70 runs and finished the series with 199 runs at a dismal average of 19.90. In the final Test of the series, Stokes came on to bowl in a quest for a breakthrough and bowled a peach of a delivery of his very first delivery to dismiss his counterpart Rohit Sharma who had scored a century. 

In the third and final Test of the West Indies tour of England 2024, Stokes opened the batting along with Ben Duckett in the fourth innings and smashed the fastest fifty by an Englishman and the joint-third fastest fifty by a batter in Tests as England whitewashed the West Indies in the three-match series. 

Ben Stokes T20I Career

Ben Stokes made his T20I debut against West Indies in 2011. He then played two matches in the Twenty20 series against New Zealand. Stokes punched a locker after a match against West Indies in 2014 which resulted in him getting ruled out of the 2016 Twenty20 World Cup. Stokes was part of the squad for the one-off T20 match against New Zealand in 2015 where he scored 24 not out and took two wickets.

Stokes failed to impress in the two-match T20I series against South Africa in 2015-16. Stokes was selected for the 2016 ICC Twenty20 World Cup. Stoke was not very impactful in the initial stage of the tournament. Stokes bowled well in the semi-final against the Kiwis to take three wickets for 26 runs. In the last over of the final, Ben Stokes was given the ball to defend 19 runs. But he was hit for four consecutive sixes by Carlos Braithwaite and West Indies lifted the Cup.

After the heartbreaking World Cup, Stokes played in the one-off T20I against Pakistan and in the three-match T20I series against India.

In the series against India, Stokes scored a total of 46 runs and took two wickets. Next, he played a couple of matches in 2018 against India and Sri Lanka. Stokes’ following series was in 2020 against South Africa.

He played three games, scored 63 runs, and picked up four wickets with the ball. His next series was also against South Africa in November-December 2020. He played three games in which he scored 53 runs and took two wickets in total.

In 2021, Stokes played five T20Is against India, in which he picked up only three wickets and scored 84 runs in three innings. He ruled himself out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 due to injury concerns and also to take a break for mental health. 

Stokes was drafted into the ICC T20 World Cup (T20 WC) 2022 but was struggling to get going in the tournament. However, he came clutch yet again for the Englishmen as his unbeaten half-century, which was also his maiden one in T20Is, ensured that England won the T20 WC after a gap of 12 years by defeating Pakistan in the final.

Owing to injury concerns, Stokes ruled himself out of contention for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which was held in the West Indies and USA.

Ben Stokes Captaincy

Ben Stokes was appointed as the deputy of Joe Root for England in Tests in 2017. With Root having a disastrous run as skipper, the English Cricket Board (ECB) turned to Stokes and appointed him as the skipper of the English Test team on April 28, 2022. 

Soon after his appointment, veteran New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Brendon McCullum was named as the head coach of their Test team. Stokes formed a meaty partnership with his new-found mentor, which was eventually coined as ‘Bazball’ for England’s new approach of playing an aggressive brand of cricket in Tests, something that the erstwhile New Zealand batter had implemented in his playing days. 

Stokes brought in a remarkable change in the dynamics and the culture that his team followed, and the results made it more evident. Though he has had a few hiccups here and there, Stokes would be eyeing to create more records as a captain. He was yet to lose a Test series as a captain until England’s series defeat to India in early 2024. 

Ben Stokes Under-19 Career

Ben Stokes was part of the English squad that played in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2010. In the 6 matches he played, he managed to pick 7 wickets at an average of 19.47 and an economy of 4.41, including a three-wicket haul against West Indies U-19 in the quarterfinal. With the bat, he scored 166 runs at a strike rate of 103.10, including a century against India U-19. 

Ben Stokes Family

Ben Stokes was born in Christchurch, New Zealand to Gerard Stokes and Deborah Stokes. His father was a rugby league player and coach. His family moved to England after his father was appointed head coach of the Workington Town rugby league club. 

Stokes grew up in Cockermouth and started playing for Cockermouth Cricket Club. Ben Stokes married Clare Ratcliffe in 2017 and has two children, a son Layton, and a daughter Libby. Stokes’ father Gerard passed away aged 65 in 2020 due to brain cancer. 

Ben Stokes House

Ben Stokes owns a luxurious mansion in Durham, which he bought by spending money on his inaugural IPL contract.

Ben Stokes Cars

Among the luxurious car collections that Ben Stokes has, one of the most notable is the Ferrari F430.