England's talisman whose career has featured incredible highs (2019 WC Final, Headingley) and lows (nightclub incident, 2016 WC Final over).
23 incidents documented
England vs Australia
28 June - 2 July 2023
Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow after he wandered out of his crease assuming the ball was dead. The dismissal at Lord's caused a furious reaction from the MCC members.
England vs Australia
June–July 2023
The 2023 Ashes produced a succession of DRS controversies around edge detection — Hotspot and Snicko contradicting each other in critical moments — exposing the continued limitations of ball-tracking and edge-detection technology in high-stakes Test cricket.
England vs Australia
2 July 2023
Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow as he wandered out of his crease assuming the ball was dead, sparking a massive 'Spirit of Cricket' controversy.
England vs Australia
16 June 2023
Ben Duckett's startlingly aggressive batting against Australia's pace attack at Edgbaston set the tone for England's Bazball-era Ashes campaign, repeatedly taking on Cummins and Starc with reverse sweeps and premeditated strokes that disoriented Australia's plans.
India vs England
5-9 March 2021
The on-field umpire's 'soft signal' of out for a Ben Stokes catch that appeared to have been grassed was upheld by the third umpire, sparking fury over the soft signal rule.
England vs South Africa
2021-10-26
Kagiso Rabada's targeted assault on Ben Stokes — one of cricket's most powerful all-rounders — across T20 and Test cricket produced one of modern cricket's great personal rivalries, with Rabada's pace and Stokes's counter-attacking instincts creating compelling confrontations.
South Africa vs England
January 2020
Confusion arose about whether a ball was dead after a no-ball was bowled and the batsman was hit, leading to debate about free hit procedures.
Various
13 July 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic forced cricket into bio-secure bubbles, leading to cancelled tours, mental health crises, and the controversial cancellation of England's tour of India's final Test at Old Trafford.
England vs New Zealand
14 July 2019
Umpire Kumar Dharmasena awarded six runs on an overthrow that deflected off Ben Stokes' bat, when the correct call should have been five. The decision may have changed the outcome of the World Cup final.
England vs Australia
22-25 August 2019
During Ben Stokes' miraculous Headingley chase, Jack Leach survived an LBW appeal that was given 'umpire's call' on review, allowing the legendary partnership to continue.
England vs Australia
25 August 2019
Nathan Lyon dropped a simple chance to run out Ben Stokes at Headingley, and earlier Tim Paine missed a stumping chance that would have ended England's miraculous chase.
Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals
11 April 2019
MS Dhoni walked onto the field from the dugout to argue with umpires over a no-ball call that was reversed, in an unprecedented act for the usually calm captain.
England vs Australia
17 August 2019
Jofra Archer's fierce bouncer struck Steve Smith on the neck, felling him and forcing him out of the next Test with delayed concussion symptoms.
England vs New Zealand
2019-07-14
Trent Boult took a seemingly match-winning catch but stepped on the boundary rope, gifting England a crucial six in the World Cup Final.
England vs New Zealand
2019-07-14
The 2019 World Cup Final featured a freak overthrow off Ben Stokes' bat that went for six runs, sparking endless debate and proving that cricket's greatest moments are often its most absurd.
England vs New Zealand
14 July 2019
England won the 2019 World Cup Final on a boundary count tiebreaker after both the match and Super Over were tied, amid controversy over a crucial overthrow that awarded England six runs instead of five.
England vs New Zealand
2019-07-14
The most extraordinary finish in World Cup history — the final tied, the Super Over tied, and England were declared World Champions on boundary count. New Zealand were devastated. The boundary countback rule was subsequently abolished.
England vs Australia
2019-08-25
England needed 73 off the last 17 overs with one wicket remaining. Ben Stokes scored 135 not out, hitting the winning four off Pat Cummins to give England a 1-wicket victory — the most remarkable Ashes run chase since Botham's Leeds 1981.
England vs New Zealand
2019-07-14
Ben Stokes dived for his crease as Martin Guptill's throw deflected off his outstretched bat to the boundary — the umpires awarded 6 runs (4 for the boundary + 2 being run), though replays suggested only 5 should have been given. The 'extra' run may have changed the World Cup result.
England (off-field)
25 September 2017
Ben Stokes was arrested after a violent incident outside a Bristol nightclub, leading to criminal charges, a trial, and his exclusion from the Ashes tour.
West Indies vs England
2016-04-03
After Carlos Brathwaite hit four sixes to win the T20 World Cup Final, Marlon Samuels celebrated by draping himself in a blanket-like flag and sitting in a chair with his feet up.
West Indies vs England
2016-04-03
West Indies needed 19 off the last over. Carlos Brathwaite hit Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes to win the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup — the greatest single-over comeback in World Cup history.
England vs Australia
2015-09-13
Ben Stokes was given out for 'obstructing the field' after raising his hand to protect himself from a throw, becoming only the 7th player in ODI history to be dismissed that way.