Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes (Credits: Twitter)

England all-rounder Ben Stokes leapfrogged Lewis Hamilton to win the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year Award. ECB, England’s players and The Barmy Army had launched a campaign to vote for Stokes and their efforts produced the final result as Stokes received the highest number of votes which saw him win the award.

Unlike India, cricket is not the most followed sports in the UK and with the World Cup 2019 not free to the air there, people didn’t even know that there was a WC going on in England. The final was free to air but only after England made it to the summit clash.

Ben Stokes, England national cricket team
Photo: Getty

Stokes had a year to remember. His two great knocks came in crunch situations. Starting from his knock in the final of WC 2019, Stokes scored 84* off 98. If not for the innings, he would probably be remembered for the ‘bat of god’ incident as a throw deflected off his bat and ran towards the boundary, thus forcing officials to add six runs to England’s tally. The final ended in a tie with the throw playing a huge part in deciding the end result.

The Super Over also ended in a tie as Martin Guptill managed one run on the final ball of the Super Over – the run out from Jos Buttler was adjudged as Greatest Sporting Moment of the Year.

Come the Ashes 2019, Stokes pulled off a heist in the third Test at Leeds. Needing 73 runs with just one wicket in hand, Stokes added 76 runs for the 10th wicket with Jack Leach, who scored 1* off 17.

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Breaking the stereotypes, Stokes played an attacking game and forced Australia to push the players on the boundary ropes. It further allowed him to play big shots and Stokes finished the game with a boundary to hand Australia a big defeat.

Apart from Stokes and Buttler, the whole World Cup-winning team also reigned supreme at the award ceremony as England’s World Cup team was crowned as the Team of the Year. Under Eoin Morgan, England won their first 50-over World Cup at Lord’s this year.