Ben Stokes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ben Stokes

Stokes in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Benjamin Andrew Stokes
Born	(1991-06-04) 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	23 July 2025 v India
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 T20I FC Matches 115 114 43 198 Runs scored 7,032 3,463 585 11,211 Batting average 35.69 41.22 21.66 35.03 100s/50s 14/35 5/24 0/1 23/56 Top score 258 182 52* 258 Balls bowled 13,160 3,110 612 22,064 Wickets 230 74 26 427 Bowling average 31.64 42.39 32.92 29.61 5 wickets in innings 5 1 0 9 10 wickets in match 0 0 0 1 Best bowling 6/22 5/61 3/26 7/67 Catches/stumpings 113/– 55/– 22/– 157/–
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, 27 July 2025

Benjamin Andrew Stokes (born 4 June 1991) is a famous English international cricket player. He is currently the captain of the England Test team. Stokes has played for England in all three types of cricket games. Many people think he is one of England's best all-rounders ever.

In England, he plays for Durham. He has also played in many Twenty20 leagues around the world. Ben Stokes was a key player when England won the 2019 Cricket World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup.

Stokes was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, but moved to England when he was a child. He started playing for England in One Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) games in 2011. His first Test match was in 2013. In the 2019 Cricket World Cup final, he was the top scorer for England and won the Man of the Match award. He was named the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2019, 2020, and 2022. He also won the ICC Award for Best Men's Cricketer and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 2019. He became the captain of England's Test team in April 2022.

Ben Stokes is an all-rounder, which means he is good at both batting and bowling. He bats left-handed in the middle of the batting order and bowls right-arm fast. He holds a world record in Test cricket for scoring the most runs (258) while batting at number six. He also set a world record with Jonny Bairstow for the highest partnership for the sixth wicket, scoring 399 runs together. In February 2023, he broke the record for the most sixes hit in a Test career. He played his 100th Test match against India on February 15, 2024.

Early Life and Cricket Beginnings

Benjamin Andrew Stokes was born on June 4, 1991, in Christchurch, New Zealand. His father, Gerard 'Ged' Stokes, was a rugby league player and coach. Ben has some Māori family background.

In 2003, when Ben was 12, his family moved to England. His father became the head coach for a rugby league club called Workington Town. The family lived in Cockermouth, where Ben went to Cockermouth School. He started playing cricket at the local Cockermouth Cricket Club. When he was just 15, he helped his club win the North Lancashire & Cumbria Cricket League Premier Division Title in 2006.

Playing for Clubs

Stokes started his professional cricket career with Durham in 2009. In his very first game, he took a wicket with only his third ball! He also played for England's Under-19 team, scoring a century against India in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup.

He made his first-class debut for Durham in 2010. He scored a half-century and took a wicket in that match. Later that year, he scored his first century in first-class cricket against Nottinghamshire. Stokes was a very important player for Durham when they won the County Championship in 2013. He was also named Man of the Match in the 2014 Royal London One-Day Cup Final.

In 2015, Stokes joined the Melbourne Renegades in Australia for their Big Bash League season. In February 2017, he became the vice-captain of England's Test team. In May 2022, Stokes returned to play for Durham and scored an amazing 161 runs from just 88 balls. This included hitting 34 runs in one over! It was the fastest first-class century by a Durham player and set a new record for the most sixes in a County Championship game.

Playing in the Indian Premier League

In 2017, Stokes was bought by Rising Pune Supergiant to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He scored his first Twenty20 century against Gujarat Lions, hitting 103 runs not out. He was named the Most Valuable Player for the 2017 season.

For the 2018 season, he moved to Rajasthan Royals. In October 2020, he scored 107 runs not out for Rajasthan Royals. In 2021, he had to miss most of the IPL season due to a finger injury. He also chose not to play in the 2022 IPL to focus on England's Test team. In December 2022, Chennai Super Kings bought him for the 2023 IPL season.

Playing for England

Early International Matches

Stokes made his first appearance for England in a One Day International (ODI) game against Ireland in August 2011. He later made his Test debut in the 2013–14 Ashes series against Australia. He took important wickets and scored his first Test century, getting 120 runs. He was the only English batsman to score a hundred in that series.

Stokes practicing before England's ODI against Ireland in 2013

Key Performances in 2015-2017

In 2015, during a series against Australia, Stokes was given out for "obstructing the field," which is very rare in cricket. Later that year, he played against Pakistan and then had a fantastic tour of South Africa in 2015-16. In a Test match in Cape Town, he scored an incredible 258 runs, which was the second-fastest double century in Test history! He also shared a world-record partnership of 399 runs with Jonny Bairstow.

In 2016, he scored 128 runs against India. For his great performances, he was named in the World Test XI and ODI XI by ESPNcricinfo. In 2017, he scored two more ODI centuries against South Africa and Australia. He also had a great Test series against South Africa and West Indies, scoring centuries and taking many wickets.

2019 Cricket World Cup Victory

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. In the first match against South Africa, he scored 89 runs, took two wickets, and made an amazing catch that many called "one of the greatest catches of all time." He was named "Man of the Match."

In the final against New Zealand, he scored 84 runs not out, helping to tie the game. The match then went to a "super over," which also ended in a tie. England won the World Cup because they had hit more boundaries (fours and sixes) during the match. Stokes was again named "Man of the Match" for his incredible performance. He was also included in the "Team of the Tournament."

2019 Ashes Heroics

Stokes raising his bat after winning the third Test against Australia

In the 2019 Ashes series against Australia, Stokes played a huge role. In the third Test at Headingley, England seemed sure to lose. But Stokes scored an unbeaten 135 runs, hitting 11 fours and 8 sixes, to help England win in a record chase. His innings was called "one of the greatest innings of all time" and the "greatest ever played by an Englishman." Wisden rated it as the Greatest hundred of the decade. He was named England's player of the series.

Recent International Career

Stokes continued his excellent form into the 2019-20 tour of South Africa, where he was named player of the series. In the second Test, he scored 47 and 72 runs and took the final three wickets to help England win. In the next match, his century helped England win the series.

In July 2020, Stokes captained England for the first time in a Test match against the West Indies. He scored 176 runs in the second Test, which was his tenth Test century. In 2021, he also captained an inexperienced England ODI team to a big win against Pakistan.

Test Captaincy and T20 World Cup Win

On April 28, 2022, Ben Stokes became England's Test captain. With new coach Brendon McCullum, Stokes helped create a new, exciting style of play known as "Bazball." Under his captaincy, England won 3-0 against New Zealand in June 2022 and 2-1 against South Africa in July 2022.

In July 2022, Stokes announced he would stop playing ODI cricket to focus on Test and T20 matches. However, he later came out of ODI retirement in August 2023 to play in the 2023 Cricket World Cup. In the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Final, Stokes scored 52 runs not out, helping England win the World Cup by beating Pakistan.

In December 2024, Stokes suffered a torn hamstring injury during a Test match against New Zealand. He had surgery in January 2025 and was expected to return to cricket in May 2025 for England's home Test with Zimbabwe.

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
14	141	India	Old Trafford, Manchester	Home	23 July 2025	TBD

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	Rose Bowl, Southampton	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 got engaged to Clare Ratcliffe in 2013, and they married in October 2017. They have two children. Stokes has a tattoo of a family of lions on his back, which represents his own family. He also has a tattoo showing his Maori heritage.

Stokes has been open about facing mental health challenges during his career. In June 2021, he announced he was taking a break from cricket to focus on his mental wellbeing. He later explained that feeling anxious and having panic attacks were due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the sad death of his father in December 2020. Stokes has said he continues to talk to a therapist and takes anti-anxiety medication. Because of this, the "Bazball" style of play under Stokes has also focused more on players' mental health.

Records and Achievements

• Man of the Match in the final of the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
• Second-fastest Test double century (based on balls faced).
• Fastest 250 runs in Tests (196 balls).
• Second highest number of sixes in a Test innings (11 sixes).
• Highest number of sixes in a Test career.
• Most runs in a Test innings while batting at the sixth position (258 runs).
• Most runs scored in the first part of a day in Tests (130 runs).
• Highest Test partnership for the sixth wicket (399 runs with Jonny Bairstow).
• Became the second cricketer after Ian Botham to have over 4,000 runs and over 100 wickets in Tests for England.
• Highest number of sixes in a County Championship innings (17 for Durham in May 2022).
• Most runs in an ODI innings for England (182 runs).

Awards and Honors

England

• ICC Cricket World Cup – 2019
• ICC T20 World Cup – 2022
• He was given the Freedom of the Borough of Allerdale in September 2019.
• He won the 2019 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
• Stokes was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2020 for his services to cricket.
• 2019 - ICC Cricketer of the Year.
• 2022 - ICC Test Cricketer of the Year.
• He was named the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2019, 2020, and 2022.
• Named the Indian Premier League's Player of the tournament for the 2017 season.

See also

In Spanish: Ben Stokes para niños