Cricket News: Ben Stokes is the best clutch player in cricket today

In 43 matches, he’s scored 585 runs at an average of 21.67 and a strike rate of 128.01. With the ball, he’s taken 26 wickets at an average of 32.92, a strike rate of 23.54 and an economy of 8.39. 

They’re respectable stats but not the numbers someone of Ben Stokes’ natural talent should be logging. Some believed Ben Stokes should not be an automatic starter for England in the shortest format. 

Thankfully, both England captain Jos Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott backed Ben Stokes to the hilt – and their backing was rewarded, as Ben Stokes scored a half-century in the T20 World Cup final, leading England to a win. 

However, the win did more than make England two-time T20I world champions – it also cemented Ben Stokes’ legacy as the best clutch player this generation has seen. 

This might seem like hyperbole, but it is a stance that holds up to closer scrutiny. Ben Stokes is one of few players with epic, memorable match-winning knocks in all three game formats. 

His Test career has been so consistent that he’s now the team’s leader in the red ball format. But what’s always stood out is his ability to shine brightest when the pressure is ramped up. 

Who can forget when, in only his second Test match, he scored 120 against Australia in an Ashes Test at the WACA in Perth in 2013? 

And this was no ordinary bowling attack he dismantled, as the Aussies boasted the likes of Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Lyon. 

Or his attacking Test century at Lord’s against New Zealand in 2015, a knock that would go down in history as the fastest-ever Test ton at the iconic ground. 

Oh, and he took the wickets of both Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson off consecutive balls in that exact match. 

But his best Test innings will forever remain the miracle at Headingly, where he scored an unbeaten 135 to lead England to a Test match win in which they had been dismissed for 67 in the first innings. 

His ODI knocks are also the stuff of legends. After all, who can forget his ton against Australia in the 2017 Champions Trophy that knocked the Aussies out? 

There’s also the 99 off 52 balls he scored in India in the 2021 series, which helped England level the three-match series. 

Yet his best knock will forever be his 84* in the 2019 World Cup final, which not only won them their maiden ODI World Cup but also came in a high-pressure situation – England was 86-4 at one point and needed Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler to rescue them. 

He lacked a similar knock in T20I cricket – until now. And while it comes in as a bit of a surprise that Ben Stokes stepped up to the big occasion, it’s still remarkable how much of a habit he’s made it. 

And it is for this reason that he can be dubbed, without hesitation, the best clutch player in this generation.