England's Cumbrian captain Ben Stokes has been named ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year.
The Cockermouth star has received the accolade for a superb 2022.
It was a year when Stokes was appointed captain and led a stunning turnaround in England's test fortunes.
The all-rounder's captaincy, under new head coach Brendon McCullum, brought about a transformation as England adopted a bold and entertaining approach in the test arena.
Individually, it was also an excellent year for 31-year-old Stokes, who scored 870 runs in 2022 at an average of 36.25, including two centuries and a strike rate of 71.21, and took 26 wickets at an average of 31.19.
Announcing the award, the International Cricket Council said of Stokes: "Sometimes the game is about more than just numbers, and in 2022 Stokes – along with new England head coach Brendon McCullum – completely transformed the form, fortunes and style of England Men’s Test team.
Leading from the front 🌟
— ICC (@ICC) January 26, 2023
England's inspirational captain is the recipient of the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year 2022 Award 🏅#ICCAwards
"Players and teams have played extremely attacking cricket before. But Stokes has delivered a new level for his consistent commitment to England’s entertaining and aggressive approaches with bat, ball and in the field.
"Since taking over as England captain, Stokes has led the team to nine wins from ten Tests, completing series victories over New Zealand and South Africa at home, beating India in the one-off postponed Test to level the series at 2-2, and hammering Pakistan 3-0 away from home – England’s best ever margin of victory in the country.
"Prior to his appointment as captain, England had been beaten in each of their four most recent completed series and had won just one of their previous 17 Tests."
Stokes was also praised for his intelligent captaincy in the field, and "fair but decisive" selection decisions.
The Cumbrian has also been named as captain of the ICC Men's Test XI for 2022.
England team-mates Jonny Bairstow and James Anderson are also selected, along with Australia's Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, South Africa's Kagiso Rabada, West Indies' Kraigg Brathwaite, Pakistan's Babar Azam and India's Rishabh Pant.
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