Ben Stokes, a standout for England, was crowned the best male cricketer in the world by Wisden Almanack on Monday for the third time in four years.
Stokes was chosen for both his match-winning performance in the T20 World Cup final and his energetic leadership of England’s Test squad in 2022.
The all-rounder previously won the award in 2019 and 2020, and he is featured on the cover of Wisden’s 160th issue with England Test head coach Brendon McCullum.
Since taking over as England’s captain, Stokes has orchestrated 10 victories in 12 games, and his aggressive and creative style has revived a side that had been in decline.
Stokes made waves in the white-ball game as well, helping England’s T20 team win the championship by settling the match against Pakistan with a half-century in November.
It’s difficult to imagine any cricketer who might have drastically changed the fortunes of his side like Ben Stokes, “Lawrence Booth, editor of Wisden, stated.
“England had lost its previous 17 games, and when he took over as Test captain, they had only one victory. They had won nine of ten games by the time they became the first visiting team to win 3-0 in Pakistan. They were also playing with a newfound fervor and flair.”
After scoring two hundred against India at Edgbaston, Stokes’ England teammate Jonny Bairstow became the first winner of the new Wisden Trophy, given for the best individual Test performance.
For the second time, Beth Mooney of Australia was crowned the best women’s cricket player in the world.
Suryakumar Yadav, a powerful batsman from India, received the honor of being the best Twenty20 cricket player in the world.