Ben Stokes facts for kids

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Ben Stokes

Stokes in 2014

Personal information

Full name

Benjamin Andrew Stokes

Born

4 June 1991 (age 34)
Christchurch, New Zealand

Nickname

Stokesy

Height

6 ft (183 cm)

Batting

Left-handed

Bowling

Right-arm fast-medium

Role

All-rounder

International information

National side

England (2011–present)

Test debut (cap 658)

5 December 2013 v Australia

Last Test

14 December 2024 v New Zealand

ODI debut (cap 221)

25 August 2011 v Ireland

Last ODI

11 November 2023 v Pakistan

ODI shirt no.

55 (previously 59)

T20I debut (cap 58)

23 September 2011 v West Indies

Last T20I

13 November 2022 v Pakistan

T20I shirt no.

55 (previously 59)

Domestic team information

Years

Team

2009–present

Durham

2014/15

Melbourne Renegades

2017

Rising Pune Supergiant

2017/18

Canterbury

2018–2021

Rajasthan Royals

2021–2024

Northern Superchargers

2023

Chennai Super Kings

Career statistics

Competition	Test	ODI	FC	LA
Matches	110	114	193	184
Runs scored	6,719	3,463	10,898	5,303
Batting average	35.55	41.22	34.92	38.42
100s/50s	13/35	5/24	22/56	9/30
Top score	258	182	258	182
Balls bowled	12,252	3,110	21,156	4,774
Wickets	210	74	407	137
Bowling average	32.36	42.39	29.89	33.55
5 wickets in innings	4	1	8	1
10 wickets in match	0	0	1	0
Best bowling	6/22	5/61	7/67	5/61
Catches/stumpings	112/–	55/–	156/–	85/–

Medal record

Men's Cricket

Representing England
ICC Cricket World Cup
Winner	2019 England and Wales
ICC T20 World Cup
Winner	2022 Australia
Runner-up	2016 India

Source: ESPNcricinfo, 17 December 2024

Ben Stokes (born 4 June 1991) is a famous English cricketer. He is known as one of England's best all-rounders, meaning he is great at both batting and bowling. He currently captains the England Test team.

Stokes was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, but moved to England when he was young. He started playing for England in One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) matches in 2011. His Test debut was in 2013.

He was a key player when England won the 2019 Cricket World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup. In the 2019 World Cup final, he was named "Man of the Match" for his amazing performance. He has also won many awards, including the ICC Best Men's Cricketer.

Early Life and Cricket Beginnings
Playing for Clubs
- Playing Around the World
International Career Highlights
International Centuries
- Test Centuries
- One Day International Centuries
Personal Life
Records and Achievements
Honours and Awards
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Cricket Beginnings

Ben Stokes was born on June 4, 1991, in Christchurch, New Zealand. His father, Gerard Stokes, was a rugby league player and coach. Ben moved to England at age 12 when his dad became a coach for Workington Town.

He grew up in Cockermouth, a small town in West Cumbria. There, he played cricket for Cockermouth Cricket Club. He even helped his club win a league title when he was just 15 years old in 2006.

Playing for Clubs

Stokes started his professional cricket journey with Durham in 2009. In his very first List A match, he took a wicket with only his third ball! He quickly showed his talent, scoring a century (100 runs) in a youth World Cup match against India.

He made his first-class debut for Durham in 2010. He scored his first century in first-class cricket that same year. Stokes was a big part of the Durham team that won the County Championship in 2013. He also helped them win the Royal London One-Day Cup in 2014.

Playing Around the World

Ben Stokes has played for different teams in Twenty20 leagues around the world.

In 2015, he played for the Melbourne Renegades in Australia's Big Bash League.
In 2017, he joined Rising Pune Supergiant in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He scored his first Twenty20 century there and was named the Most Valuable Player of the season.
From 2018 to 2021, he played for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.
He also played for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred competition in England.
In 2023, he joined Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

In 2022, Stokes made a record-breaking 161 runs from just 88 balls for Durham. He hit five sixes in a row in one over! This was the fastest century ever by a Durham player in first-class cricket.

International Career Highlights

Ben Stokes made his first appearance for the England senior team in 2011. He quickly became a key player for England in all three types of cricket: Test, One Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20I).

Early International Years (2013-2016)

Stokes played in the 2013–14 Ashes series against Australia. He scored his first Test century in that series, making 120 runs. He was the only English batsman to score a hundred in that series.

In 2016, during a Test match against South Africa, Stokes scored an incredible 258 runs. This was the second-fastest double century in Test history! He also set a world record partnership of 399 runs with Jonny Bairstow for the sixth wicket.

World Cup Hero (2019)

Ben Stokes signing an autograph for a fan, after the World cup victory

In April 2019, Stokes was chosen for England's team for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He had an amazing tournament.

In the opening match against South Africa, he scored 89 runs, took two wickets, and made an incredible catch. This catch was called "one of the greatest catches of all time."
In the final against New Zealand, he scored 84 runs to tie the game. Then, he batted in the "super over," which also ended in a tie. England won the World Cup because they had hit more boundaries (fours and sixes) in the match. Stokes was named "Man of the Match" for his heroic effort.

Ashes Heroics (2019)

Stokes raising his bat after winning the third Test against Australia

Later in 2019, Stokes played a huge role in the 2019 Ashes series against Australia. In the third Test at Headingley, England looked like they would lose. But Stokes scored an unbeaten 135 runs, hitting 11 fours and 8 sixes, to lead England to a famous victory. This innings is often called "one of the greatest innings of all time." He was named England's player of the series.

Captaincy and T20 World Cup Win (2020-2022)

In 2020, Stokes captained England for the first time in a Test match against the West Indies. He scored 176 runs in one of those matches.

In 2022, Ben Stokes became the full-time captain of England's Test team. With new coach Brendon McCullum, they developed a new, exciting style of play called "Bazball." This style is known for being fearless and entertaining.

Later in 2022, Stokes led England to victory in the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. He scored an unbeaten 52 runs in the final against Pakistan, helping England win the trophy.

ODI Retirement and Return

In July 2022, Stokes announced he would stop playing One Day International (ODI) cricket. He said it was too demanding to play all three types of cricket. However, in August 2023, he decided to come out of ODI retirement to play in the 2023 Cricket World Cup. He scored a century against the Netherlands in that tournament.

Recent Achievements (2024)

In July 2024, Stokes set a new record. He scored the fastest Test half-century (50 runs) by an English player, reaching it in just 24 balls!

International Centuries

Test Centuries

Test centuries scored by Ben Stokes
No.	Score	Against	Venue	H/A/N	Date	Result
1	120	Australia	WACA, Perth	Away	13 December 2013	Lost
2	101	New Zealand	Lord's, London	Home	21 May 2015	Won
3	258	South Africa	Newlands, Cape Town	Away	2 January 2016	Drawn
4	128	India	Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot	Away	16 September 2016	Drawn
5	112	South Africa	The Oval, London	Home	27 July 2017	Won
6	100	West Indies	Headingley, Leeds	Home	25 August 2017	Lost
7	115*	Australia	Lord's, London	Home	14 August 2019	Drawn
8	135*	Australia	Headingley, Leeds	Home	22 August 2019	Won
9	120	South Africa	St George's Park, Gqeberha	Away	16 January 2020	Won
10	176	West Indies	Old Trafford, Manchester	Home	16 July 2020	Won
11	120	West Indies	Kensington Oval, Bridgetown	Away	16 March 2022	Drawn
12	103	South Africa	Old Trafford, Manchester	Home	25 August 2022	Won
13	155	Australia	Lord's, London	Home	28 June 2023	Lost

One Day International Centuries

ODI centuries scored by Ben Stokes
No.	Score	Against	Venue	H/A/N	Date	Result
1	101	Bangladesh	Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka	Away	7 October 2016	Won
2	101	South Africa	Headingley, Leeds	Home	27 May 2017	Won
3	102	Australia	Edgbaston, Birmingham	Home	10 June 2017	Won
4	182	New Zealand	The Oval, London	Home	13 September 2023	Won
5	108	Netherlands	MCA Stadium, Pune	Neutral	8 November 2023	Won

Personal Life

Ben Stokes married Clare Ratcliffe in October 2017. They have two children together. He has a tattoo of a lion family on his back, which represents his own family. He also has Māori heritage, which is shown in another one of his tattoos.

Stokes has spoken openly about dealing with mental health challenges during his career. In 2021, he took a break from cricket to focus on his "mental wellbeing." He later explained that different pressures, including the passing of his father, led him to experience anxiety.

Records and Achievements

Man of the Match in the 2019 Cricket World Cup final.
Second-fastest Test double century (200 runs) in terms of balls faced.
Fastest 250 runs in Tests.
Holds the world record for most sixes hit in a Test career.
Most runs scored in a Test innings while batting at number six (258 runs).
Highest Test partnership for the sixth wicket (399 runs with Jonny Bairstow).
One of only two English cricketers to score over 4,000 runs and take over 100 wickets in Tests.
Most sixes hit in a County Championship innings (17 sixes).
Most runs in an ODI innings for England (182 runs).

Honours and Awards

England Team Wins

ICC Cricket World Cup – 2019
ICC T20 World Cup – 2022

Individual Awards

Awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Allerdale in 2019.
Won the 2019 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2020 for his services to cricket.
Named the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World multiple times.
Named the Indian Premier League's Most Valuable Player for the 2017 season.
Won the ICC Player of the Year award in 2019.