Last Update: January 26, 2023, 2:44 pm IST
Ben Stokes has had a memorable year as Test captain. (AFP photo)
Ben Stokes was also earlier made the captain of the ICC Test Team of the Year.
international Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced the winner of its Test Cricketer of the Year award. This honor has been given to England all-rounder and captain Ben Stokes.
Interestingly, while explaining why Stokes has outshined others in the competition, the ICC has said that his contribution during 2023 is much more than mere numbers.
Stokes scored 870 runs at 36.25 and took 26 wickets at 31.19 during the year.
Read also: Babar Azam named ICC ODI player of the year
For the record, Babar Azam topped the batting charts with 1184 runs in 17 innings, while Kagiso Rabada and Nathan Lyon were the joint leading wicket-takers in Test cricket last year with 47 scalps.
Although Rabada took four innings less than the Australian offspinner.
England were widely praised for their aggressive brand of cricket in Tests, which saw a surprising turnaround in their fortunes. Once Stokes took over from Joe Root as their captain, they went on to beat India, New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan during the year, breaking records.
England had lost their last four full Test series, winning just one of their last 17 Tests, following which Root stepped down and Stokes was appointed as head coach alongside New Zealand great Brendon McCullum.
Read also: All you need to know about England’s tour of South Africa
“While his totals with the ball for 2022 are not exceptional (26 wickets at 31.19), Stokes deployed himself in a number of different tactical roles throughout the year, prioritizing impact and team balance over his individual figures, ICC wrote on its website.
England scored an impressive 4.13 runs during 15 Tests in 2022 and struck at 4.77 per over. He also broke the record for the highest score against Pakistan on the first day of the Test by scoring 506/4 – in just 75 overs before an early end to the day’s play due to bad light.
Stokes was also made the captain of the ICC World Test Team of the Year for 2022 as well.
ICC Test Team: Usman Khawaja, Kraigg Brathwaite, Marnus Labuschagne, Babar Azam, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Lyon, James Anderson
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