Ben Stokes: England Test Captain, Headingley 2019 Miracle (135 Not Out), 2019 World Cup Final Hero

Ben Stokes was born on 4 June 1991 in Christchurch, New Zealand, and grew up in England after his father Ged — a rugby league coach — moved the family there. He made his Test debut in 2013 and established himself as England's first-choice Test all-rounder by 2016, combining an ability to bowl at 90mph with a lower-order batting game capable of match-changing innings. His career has been defined by high-pressure performances in specific matches: the 258 he scored on Test debut in Perth in 2013, the 135 not out at Headingley in 2019, and the 84 not out in the 2019 World Cup final at Lord's. Stokes represented England across all formats until retiring from ODI cricket in July 2022 to focus on Test cricket.

Headingley 2019: The Greatest Ashes Innings of the Modern Era

The third Ashes Test at Headingley, Leeds, in August 2019 stands as the single most dramatic Test match in the Ashes since England's victory at The Oval in 2005. Australia had set England 359 to win. England were bowled out for 67 in their second innings, and were asked to follow on. After the follow-on innings began, England collapsed to 286 for 9 — needing 73 more to win with one wicket remaining. The last man was Jack Leach, a specialist left-arm spinner with essentially no batting ability. Stokes was on strike at the other end. Over the next 73 runs — scored in a partnership that lasted 76 balls — Stokes faced 219 of those balls and Leach faced 17 (scoring 1 run, not out). Stokes hit Pat Cummins for six to bring the scores level and then hit the winning runs — 135 not out from 219 balls — to win the match for England by 1 wicket off the last wicket partnership. The win kept England alive in the series (Australia still held the urn after Leeds, but could not win 3-1) and is universally described as one of the five greatest innings in Ashes history.

England Test Captain and Bazball

Stokes was appointed England Test captain in April 2022 following Joe Root's resignation, pairing with new head coach Brendon McCullum — the former New Zealand wicketkeeper who had captained the aggressive KKR and NZ sides. Their shared philosophy — aggressive first-session batting, attacking bowling, trusting players to express themselves — quickly became known as 'Bazball' after McCullum's nickname 'Baz'. Under the Stokes-McCullum regime, England won their first twelve Tests of the new era (June to December 2022), reversing the low of the previous winter when England had lost 0-4 in Australia. England set run-chases that would previously have been considered unrealistic — chasing over 300 on flat pitches at pace, and over 350 in difficult conditions — and succeeded repeatedly. By 2024, Stokes had led England to consistent series wins against every Test nation and had restored England's reputation as one of the world's most entertaining and effective Test sides.