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English Test skipper Ben Stokes has been named as the Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World for the third time in the past four years.
Previously he won the award for his heroics with the bat and ball. However, this time the English batter won the award for his influential leadership skills on the field. He has led England to 10 Test wins in 12 matches. He became the fastest English skipper to reach 10 victories. Before him Michael Vaughan held the record with 10 victories in 16 Test matches. The England Test team has gone through some major changes in terms of their approach towards the game. Even though the majority of faces remain in the camp, the English team has added a certain amount of swagger and aggression to their game which they lacked before. By registering victories against India, New Zealand and South Africa and following up with impressive victories in the Pakistan tour, England has become a force to reckon with. Jonny Bairstow became the first recipient of the new Wisden Trophy for outstanding individual Test performance by a man or woman. Bairstow was the heart of the English batting line-up as he registered 681 runs last summer. Bairstow won the prize with his breathtaking performance against India at Edgbaston by scoring hundreds in both innings, his second knock allowed England to chase down a record target of 378. Surrey wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and Durham seamer Matthew Potts recieved an honour a player can only win once in career and which is judged by their performance during the English home season. They are in Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year 2023 which also includes Harmanpreet Kaur, Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell. Ben Foakes became a noticeable figure behind the stumps as well as with the bat against New Zealand and South Africa. On the other hand, Potts enjoyed a strong start to his international career, by picking 20 wickets in the first five Tests of the summer. He underlined his worth as a potentially dangerous seamer by removing Kane Williamson three times and then Virat Kohli in the one-off India Test. He was able to match his performance domestically, with 58 County Championship wickets at an average of 17.87. (ANI)
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