England captain Ben Stokes has added another feather to his impressive cap after being named the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Player of the Year for 2022. Stokes succeeded Joe Root as the captain of the side in the longest format and has excelled in his role helping England to Test success against New Zealand, India, South Africa and Pakistan.
Ben Stokes - 870 runs at an average of 36.25 and 26 wickets at an average of 31.19
On the basis of his numbers alone, England’s talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes had an excellent year in the whites of international Test cricket.
But sometimes the game is about more than just numbers, and in 2022 Stokes – along with new England head coach Brendon McCullum – completely transformed the form, fortunes and style of England Men’s Test team. Players and teams have played extremely attacking cricket before. But Stokes has delivered a new level for his consistent commitment to England’s entertaining and aggressive approaches with bat, ball and in the field.
Since taking over as England captain, Stokes has led the team to nine wins from 10 Tests, completing series victories over New Zealand and South Africa at home, beating India in the one-off postponed Test to level the series at 2-2, and hammering Pakistan 3-0 away from home – England’s best ever margin of victory in the country.
Prior to his appointment as captain, England had been beaten in each of their four most recent completed series and had won just one of their previous 17 Tests.
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Ben Stokes as captain
As a captain Stokes was hugely impressive, setting clever traps with his fields and utilising his bowlers brilliantly throughout the year. He was also fair but decisive with his selection decisions, bringing in new faces when required but not afraid to leave out form players if the conditions merited it.
With the bat Stokes enjoyed a strong 2022, scoring 870 runs at an average of 36.25 and an aggressive strike rate of 71.21, notching up two centuries.
His first-innings 103 in the second Test against South Africa was the standout knock of his year, giving his team some impetus immediately after their only Test loss of the English summer.
