Ben Stokes, England's red-ball captain, has been awarded the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year 2022 for his outstanding performances as an all-rounder.
Follow Us
Ben Stokes, England’s red-ball captain, has been awarded the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year 2022 for his outstanding performances as an all-rounder. In 2022, Stokes altered the dynamics of Test cricket. Since taking over as England’s Test captain, the 31-year-old, together with red-ball coach Brendon McCullum, has promoted the idea of playing an aggressive brand of cricket even in the longest version of the game, which has led to England’s triumph in red-ball cricket in 2022.
England’s talismanic all-rounder Ben Stokes had an outstanding year in the whites of international Test cricket based only on his statistics. However, sometimes the game is about more than simply numbers, and in 2022, Stokes and new England head coach Brendon McCullum radically overhauled the form, fortunes, and style of the England Men’s Test side. England’s talismanic all-rounder scored 870 runs at an average of 36.25 and took 26 wickets at an average of 31.19 in 2022.
Read more: SA20: Squads and broadcasting details for the inaugural season
Players and teams have previously played aggressive cricket. But Stokes has taken his regular dedication to England’s entertaining and aggressive ways with the bat, ball, and in the field to a new level. Since taking over as England captain, Stokes has led the team to nine wins from ten Tests, including series victories over New Zealand and South Africa at home, a one-off postponed Test victory over India to tie the series at 2-2, and a 3-0 thrashing of Pakistan away from home – England’s best ever margin of victory in the country. Prior to his appointment as captain, England had lost all four of their most recent completed series and had won only one of their previous 17 Tests.
In addition, the renowned all-rounder was appointed captain of the ICC Men’s Test XI for 2022. He proved to be simply outstanding in terms of decision-making abilities, and he also used his bowlers deftly to achieve success in the format. Many previous cricketers, like Michael Vaughan and Michael Atherton, have praised the cricketer for this, but his true test will come in June when Australia visits England for the Ashes.
Stokes was a fantastic captain, setting smart traps with his fields and utilising his bowlers superbly throughout the year. He was also fair but forceful in his selection judgements, bringing in new faces when necessary but not hesitant to throw out established players if the circumstances demanded it. His first-inning 103 against South Africa in the second Test was the standout performance of his year, providing motivation to his team immediately following their sole Test loss of the English summer.
In 2022, England’s scoring rate of 4.13 in 15 Tests was the second-best in history and the highest since Australia in 1910. These statistics include the away defeat to the West Indies and the Ashes loss under Joe Root. The team hit at a game-changing 4.77 per over in the matches in which Stokes led England. England’s 506/4 on the first day of the first Test against Pakistan was the most runs scored by any team on the first day of a Test match, and five of the seven highest strike rates belong to English players (from one to six) who have scored at least 100 runs in Test cricket in 2022, including Stokes.
