BEN’S BACK ON TOP OF THE WORLD
Wisden name England star as No.1 again
BEN STOKES has been named Wisden’s leading cricketer in the world for the second year running after performing stunning feats against the backdrop of personal tragedy.
Often dubbed cricket’s bible, the slimmed down 2021 edition pays tribute to Stokes’ continued ability to produce match-winning contributions in a year in which his mind was often elsewhere due to his father Gerard’s illness and then death in December with brain cancer.
The all-rounder is awaiting another scan on his broken left index finger in India before learning when he might take the field again.
Stokes played his part in five series wins out of five across two formats for England in 2020. The 29-year-old is the first England player to be honoured twice since the accolade was introduced in 2003, with Andrew Flintoff the only other man from these shores to claim the title.
Stokes was taken aback at the news when he found out he was joining Virat Kohli and Virender Sehwag as a multiple winner, while Australian Beth Mooney was named the world’s leading woman cricketer.
“It is an honour and it is not something I was expecting at all,” said Stokes, who scored 641 Test runs at an average of 58. “There are some incredible players who have been named on this list.”
Stokes left the England bubble mid-summer to spend time with his dad in New Zealand before returning midway through the IPL, in which he scored a hundred and celebrated with a bent finger in a nod to his dad. “Going out there and playing was a good thing to be able to do from a family point of view, and being able to deliver another good moment before he left,” added Stokes, who also used the celebration against West Indies in July. Zak Crawley’s is included in Wisden’s five cricketers of the year after cementing his place in the England batting line-up.
❑ FORMER Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has been given an eight-year ban for match-fixing. Streak, 47, who played in England for Hampshire and Warwickshire, accepted five charges of breaching the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Code and is now banned from all cricket until March 28, 2029.
● Published by Bloomsbury, Wisden is available from today for £55.