Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH). Even though I watched the 2019 World Cup final and knew the outcome having seen the replays so many times, I still found myself almost on the edge of my seat as Ben recounted the whole thing from his point of view.

In 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Final, Stokes scored an unbeaten 52* runs which helped England to win the World Cup by defeating Pakistan. Fundamentally this book is riding off the back of two monumental moments in English cricket from the same summer…and rightly so in my opinion.After all there have been some exceptionally good tour books and logic suggests that the insights that participants could provide would serve only to improve them, but the reality invariably disappoints. During the 2021 season, the England limited-over squad suffered a COVID outbreak at the end of a limited overs series against Sri Lanka. The highlights of his explosive England career to date have included scoring the fastest ever Test century at Lord’s (against New Zealand in May 2015) and England’s fastest ever Test double-century (against South Africa at Cape Town in January 2016). He then went on to play in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, during which he scored a century against the India Under-19 team.

Cue one of the most amazing innings ever witnessed as Ben Stokes thrashed the Australian bowlers to all corners of the ground, in the process scoring 135 not out, driving England to a barely-believable one-wicket victory, and keeping the series very much alive. In some ways that is a shame because earlier on there is an excellent look at the aftermath of the World Cup victory, but I suppose you can’t have everything. The whole squad, including the captain Eoin Morgan, had to self-isolate just before a home series against Pakistan. He achieved this feat against South Africa when he made a partnership of 399 runs with Jonny Bairstow. He was named the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2019, 2020 and 2023, and won the ICC Award for Best Men's Cricketer and BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 2019.

Again there is nothing from Stokes which might antagonise any of his teammates although, unsurprisingly and as widely reported in the press at the launch of the book, Australia’s combative opening batsman David Warner comes in for what might be termed a bit of criticism. Won't count as a biography but definitely captures the mood and the swinging emotions of the 2019 summer that the England cricket team enjoyed. During the 2021 IPL, Stokes suffered a finger injury which ruled him out from the entire season after playing in only one match. Faced with an incisive Australian bowling attack and Bradmanesque batting contribution from Steve Smith, [56] Stokes played a pivotal role in enabling England ultimately to draw the 2019 Ashes series 2–2 (although Australia thereby retained the urn). Consequently, part of the ethos of the Bazball style under Stokes has been an increased focus on mental wellbeing and conditioning of the players.

In their second innings England were still 73 runs short of victory with a solitary wicket remaining. Ben Stokes: England Test captain on mental health, including his struggle with anxiety and panic attacks". Knowing that the writing in On Fire was the responsibility of the same collaborator, Richard Gibson, and given that by any standards the summer enjoyed by both England and Stokes this year was a remarkable one, I decided that On Fire was worth a look. Stokes took a career-best 6 wickets for 99 runs in the first innings of the 5th Test, including the major wickets of captain Clarke for 10 and top-scorer for the innings Steve Smith for 115. As of August 2022 Stokes said he was still speaking to his therapist, and continuing to take anti-anxiety medication.That is not so much of an issue for Stokes, though, whose career to date has not been short of incident. The emphasis is, naturally, on the final and the central role Stokes played in England’s long awaited triumph. Starting from Single Test match against Ireland , then the Author takes through World Cup journey and Ashes. About the Author: About the Author: Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1991, Ben Stokes moved to Cumbria with his family at the age of 11. On 13 February 2017, Stokes was appointed vice-captain of England's test team, deputising under Joe Root, who was made captain the same day.

Ben Stokes has played for the Melbourne Renegades in Australia's Big Bash League, and Rising Pune Supergiant and the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. Something unprecedented had just happened: England had won the Cricket World Cup for the very first time since the tournament’s inception in 1975. From his childhood in New Zealand and his early cricketing career at Cockermouth, to winning his first County Championship with Durham and selection for England, Ben Stokes’s cricket career has been filled with extraordinary successes alongside great challenges. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERSHORTLISTED FOR SPORTS AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR AT THE 2020 TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS. Stokes and Gibson were assisted, of course, by the 2019 English summer being one of the most dramatic ever.In the fourth Test he made 31 in England's first innings score of 400, but failed to pick up a wicket or make an impression in England's second innings as they lost by an innings and 36 runs.