England star Ben Stokes was named the Wisden Almanack’s leading men’s cricketer in the world for the third time in four years on Monday.
Stokes was selected for his dynamic captaincy of England’s Test team in 2022, as well as his match-winning performance in the T20 World Cup final.
The all-rounder, who appears on the cover of the 160th edition of Wisden alongside England Test head coach Brendon McCullum, previously won the award in 2019 and 2020.
Stokes has masterminded 10 wins in 12 matches since taking over as England skipper, with his attacking and imaginative approach revitalising a previously moribund team.
Stokes also made waves in the white-ball game, helping to deliver the silverware for England’s T20 side as his half-century settled the final against Pakistan in November.
“It’s hard to think of any other cricketer who could have transformed his team’s fortunes so suddenly as Ben Stokes,” Wisden editor Lawrence Booth said.
“When he took over the Test captaincy, England had won one game in their previous 17. By the time they had become the first visiting side to win 3-0 in Pakistan, they had won nine out of 10, and were playing with unprecedented style and verve.”
Stokes’ England team-mate Jonny Bairstow was the inaugural recipient of the new Wisden Trophy, awarded for the outstanding individual Test performance, after his twin centuries against India at Edgbaston.
Australia’s Beth Mooney was named the leading women’s cricketer in the world for the second time.
India’s big-hitting Suryakumar Yadav was handed the award for the top Twenty20 cricketer in the world.