30 Unique Facts We Bet You Never Knew About Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes, the most famous attacking middle-order batsman, is often regarded as one of the best all-rounders from England. He holds several records including the England's fastest ever Test double-century as well as the fastest ever Test match 250. Here are some really aspiring facts about the English international cricketer:

1.  He became the highest-paid overseas player in the history of the Indian Premier League, fetching a record contract of ₹145 million (£1.7 million), in the year 2017.
2.  Stokes was given Most Valuable Player (MVP) for all-round performance for then-Finalists now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants in the 2017 season of IPL.
3.  He also holds the record for the most runs scored by an individual batsman in the morning session of a Test match.
4.  On his one-day debut for Durham in 2009 at The Oval, he managed to take the wicket of Mark Ramprakash, a highly experienced batsman, with only his third delivery in professional cricket.
5.  He holds the record for the second-fastest Test double hundred in terms of balls faced, as well as the fastest 250 in Tests out of just 196 balls.
6.  With a total of 11 sixes, he holds the record for second highest number of sixes in a Test innings. He is currently ranked at the sixth position for most runs in a Test innings - 258 runs.
7.  He, along with Jonny Bairstow, holds the record for the highest Test partnership for the sixth wicket, a feat the duo achieved against South Africa with a partnership of 399 runs.
8.  In the opening match of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, he scored 89 runs from 79 balls, while also claiming two wickets. His performance earned him the Man of the Match award.
9.  In the same match, his catch to dismiss Andile Phehlukwayo, is still date been described as "one of the greatest catches of all time."
10.  It was reported that he, along with his teammate Alex Hales was arrested in the early hours of the morning following a street brawl near a nightclub in Bristol, in September 2017.
11.  This led to both the players missing fourth game of the ODI series against West Indies. However, Stokes was ruled out of the final game also, due to a hand injury. A few days later, a video footage showing Stokes punching two men was released by The Sun.
12.  He was initially named in the England squad for the 2017–18 Ashes, but was later withdrawn, with the legal process related to the street brawl still going on.
13.  This incident was also the reason for Stokes losing his apparel sponsorship with New Balance, one of the world's major sports footwear company.
14.  Following his arrest in September 2017, a video of Stokes mimicking Katie Price’s disabled son was published by unknown sources.
15.  He took it to Twitter, apologised for his actions, and even offered to meet with Price and her son to support their petition against online bullying.
16.  A year later, he was charged with bringing the game into disrepute by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), related to the incident in Bristol and social media posts.
17.  The Cricket Disciplinary Commission fined Stokes with £30,000 in December 2018, and also decided to be banned for eight matches, all of which had been served by the time the Commission issued its verdict.
18.  During the third Twenty20 International (T20I) match against West Indies at Kensington on March 13, 2014, he injured his finger after punching the locker in dressing room, being frustrated that he got out on duck in his first delivery.
19.  It was reported that in his club cricket days also, he got into a similar situation where he punched the fire door and broke a bone. He is often known for his anger issues.
20.  The incident of punching the locker led to the teammates calling him by many nicknames such as Rocky and The Hurt Locker. He and Jonny Bairstow together were nicknamed as Weasley twins - character from the Harry Potter series, by his teammate Alex Hales.
21.  Benjamin Andrew Stokes was born on June 4, 1991 to Gerard Stokes and Deb Stokes in Christchurch, New Zealand.
22.  His father was a rugby league player and was appointed head coach of Workington Town rugby league club.
23.  He grew up in the small West Cumbrian town of Cockermouth, playing cricket for Cockermouth Cricket Club, and also at the age of 15, he won the North Lancashire & Cumbria Cricket League Premier Division Title.
24.  It is reported that he had played in all sorts of sports during his childhood, but mostly cricket and rugby league.
25.  At the age of 14, he was more a decent rugby player, than cricket, but he chose cricket as his career, as he enjoyed it more than rugby.
26.  In an interview with BBC.co.uk, he claimed that he had a mystery benefactor, who offered to pay for Stokes coaching when he was 13 years old. At that time, his father did not have enough money as he lost his job.
27.  Stokes has covered his arms and back in ink with a variety of tattoos, mostly motivational quotes. His left arm tattoo reads - "Being the best that you can be is only possible if you desire to be a champion and your fear of failure is non-existent."
28.  In the year 2017, he married Clare Ratcliffe, with whom he had been in a live-in relationship for a long time. Following his father’s death in the year 2013, he got engaged to her.
29.  The duo has two children with her - a son - Layton Stokes and a daughter Libby Stokes, born even before their marriage.
30.  For the 2018 IPL season, he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for ₹12.5 crores (£1.7m) on January 27, 2018, making him the most expensive player of the season.
31.  Ben Stokes Net Worth: $10 Million