England’s talisman all-rounder Ben Stokes has been named as Wisden’s leading cricketer of the year for the second consecutive year on Thursday. Stokes had another superb 2020 season for England as he delivered with both bat as well as the ball.
In 2020, Stokes amassed 641 runs in seven Test matches at an impressive average of 58.27 while playing against Pakistan and West Indies. Moreover, the right-arm fast bowler scalped 19 wickets in 2020 in the five-day format. On the other hand, Stokes scored 126 runs in six T20Is and snared six wickets.
“Ben Stokes becomes the first England player to be named Wisden’s Leading Cricketer in the World more than once, retaining the title he claimed in 2020,” said Wisden’s editor, Lawrence Booth. “He did it all against a backdrop of personal tragedy: his father, Ged, died in December at the age of 65.”
Meanwhile, Stokes was also named the leading cricketer of the year by Wisden for 2019 after he led England to glory in the World Cup final against New Zealand. Furthermore, the left-hander had played a magnum opus knock against Australia at Headingley in the Ashes to take his team to a memorable win.
Ergo, Stokes had become the first English player to bag the award after former all-rounder Andre Flintoff won it back in 2005. Stokes had ended Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s supremacy, who had won the prestigious award for three years on the bounce. But Stokes has been ruled out of the ongoing IPL due to a suspected broken arm.
On the other hand, Wisden also named Australia’s Beth Mooney as the leading woman cricketer for 2020. Mooney had played an instrumental role in taking Australia to victory in the T20 World Cup and had also finished as the highest run-getter in the WBBL
Meanwhile, West Indies white-ball skipper Kieron Pollard has been named as the leading T20 cricketer of 2020. The swashbuckling batsman scored 168 runs in four T20I innings at an average of 56 and a whirlwind strike rate of 204.87.
