Wisden declares Ben Stokes as the top-ranked cricketer in the world

Ben Stokes has led England to 10 wins in their last 12 Tests

England captain Ben Stokes has been named Wisden's leading cricketer in the world for the third time in four years.

Ben Stokes, who is 31 years old, has played a crucial role in transforming the fortunes of the English Test team. He was also instrumental in England's victory in the T20 World Cup final against Pakistan in November. Ben Foakes and Matthew Potts, who are both members of the England team, have been selected as two of the five Cricketers of the Year. Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell from New Zealand, as well as Harmanpreet Kaur, captain of India's women's team, have also been named in the list. When Stokes was appointed captain in April of last year, England had only won one of their previous 17 Tests. Since then, they have won 10 of their past 12 matches by playing an aggressive and daring style of cricket. Stokes has been named the leading cricketer in the world twice before, in 2020 and 2021. Lawrence Booth, the editor of Wisden, said that Stokes had transformed his team's fortunes and was forceful with both bat and ball. 

The Wisden Trophy for the outstanding individual Test performance of the year was awarded to Jonny Bairstow for his twin hundreds in the record-breaking win over India at Edgbaston in July. Finally, Suryakumar Yadav from India was named the leading Twenty20 cricketer in the world, and Beth Mooney from Australia was named the leading women's cricketer in the world for the second time in three years.

The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are chosen by the editor of Wisden, and the tradition dates back to 1889. Performance in the English summer is a crucial factor, and no player can win the award more than once. Ben Stokes played a crucial role in steering England to the T20 World Cup victory, and his defining innings of the final against Pakistan in Melbourne was a testament to his exceptional skills. His transformational impact on the England team has been immense, and he has been named the leading cricketer in the world for two consecutive years. Ben Foakes, who is one of the five Cricketers of the Year, put up some vital innings with the bat and exhibited superb work behind the stumps. Matthew Potts, who made his debut in Test cricket for England, took 20 wickets in his first summer playing for the team. Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell from New Zealand played exceptionally well with the bat despite their team's loss in the Test series against England. Harmanpreet Kaur led the Indian women's team to a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and inspired the team's first one-day series win in England since 1999 in September. Beth Mooney's outstanding performances as part of Australia's winning team in the World Cups in 50-over and 20-over formats, as well as gold at the Commonwealth Games, earned her the title of the leading women's cricketer in the world for the second time in three years. 

 The Wisden Trophy for the outstanding individual Test performance of the year was awarded to Jonny Bairstow for his twin hundreds in the record-breaking win over India at Edgbaston in July. Suryakumar Yadav, from India, was named as the leading Twenty20 cricketer in the world, cementing his status as one of the most exciting players in the format.