Ben Stokes named men's cricketer of the year

Ben Stokes has been named men's cricketer of the year in the International Cricket Council's 2019 awards.

Stokes' incredible performances in the World Cup, not least in the Lord's final, and his unforgettable match-winning century in the Ashes Test at Headingley saw him land the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.

Accepting the award, voted for by members of the media and former players, Stokes said: 'The past 12 months have been incredible for England cricket and to lift the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup for the first time was our greatest achievement.

'This award is testament to my team-mates and the support staff that have been there every step of the way. Fundamentally, without the support of these individuals, we would have never achieved our objective of lifting a major trophy.'

Stokes showcased his compelling all-round skills throughout the voting period, scoring 719 runs and taking 12 wickets in 20 one-day internationals as well 821 runs and 22 wickets in 11 Tests.

There were also several memorable catches, including his one-handed leaping effort in the World Cup curtain-raiser against South Africa.

The 28-year-old was also named in both ICC teams of the year. He was the only English representative in the Test XI, but was joined by wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler in the ODI side.

The new year has also got off to a flying start for Stokes, as he starred in England's historic second Test win over South Africa in Cape Town this month. The third Test starts on Thursday in Port Elizabeth.

Australia also fared well in the ICC awards voting, with fast bowler Pat Cummins named Test player of the year for his best-in-class haul of 59 wickets and prolific batsman Marnus Labuschagne winning emerging player of the year.

India opener Rohit Sharma was ODI player of the year, having scored seven 50-overs centuries including five at the World Cup.

England's Richard Illingworth picked up the umpiring gong, Deepak Chahar's spell of six for seven for India against Bangladesh was named best Twenty20 performance and Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer was recognised as associate cricketer of the year.

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