England all-rounder Ben Stokes celebrates his 29th birthday on June 4, 2020 (Wednesday). Stokes made his England debut against Ireland in August 2011 and has since represented the Three Lions in 184 internationals. His abilities to change a game’s fortune with either his bat, ball or fielding has often led to a comparison with English legend and another all-rounder Ian Botham and Stokes proved he was on that level if not beyond it with two sensational innings in space of months in 2019. Stokes was the central figure and a hero of all English dreams when they beat New Zealand by the barest of margins to lift a maiden World Cup title. ‘Don’t Forget to Run Away From Your Wife’: Ben Stokes Gives Hilarious Advice to Husbands Smashing Windows While Playing Cricket.

A month later, as England battled with life to save humiliation of losing an Ashes series on home soil to Australia for the first time since 2001, Stokes rose to the occasion and delivered a masterclass. His innings at Headingley, a knock of 135, is regarded as one of the greatest test innings of all-time. Stokes currently serves as the deputy Test captain of the England team. As he celebrates his birthday, take a look at some lesser-known and interesting facts about Ben Stokes.

  • Ben Stokes was born at Christchurch in New Zealand on June 4, 1991

  • Stokes' father Gerard Stokes is a former New Zealand Rugby player and coach

  • Ben Stokes started as a rugby player before shifting to cricket

  • Stokes was reportedly sponsored by a mystery benefactor during his early cricketing years

  • Stokes is nicknamed 'The Hurt Locker' in the England dressing room

  • He and Jonny Bairstow are together called the 'Weasley brothers' due to their lookalike with the Harry Potter character

  • Stokes and Bairstow also holds the record for the highest Test partnership for the sixth wicket

  • Ben Stokes also holds the record for the highest Test score by a no 6 batsman (258) which he hit against South Africa

  • With 11 sixes against South Africa, Stokes is a joint record-holder of second most sixes in a Test innings

  • Ben Stokes also holds the record for scoring the second-fastest Test double century after Nathan Astle

  • Stokes is the second England cricketer after Ian Botham to score over 4000 runs and also take more than 100 wickets in Test Cricket

  • Ben Stokes was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2020 for his services to cricket

Stokes has so far played 63 Tests, 95 ODIs and 26 Twnety20 Internationals and scored 4056, 2682 and 305 runs respectively. He has also taken 147 Test wickets, 70 ODI Wickets and 14 wickets in T20Is.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 04, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).