Bairstow and Stokes Named amongst Wisden Cricketers of the Year

13 Apr 2016 | Cricket
England pair Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes have been named among the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

They join Australia captain Steve Smith and New Zealand duo Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson on the prestigious list.

Durham allrounder Stokes, 24, was named for his record-breaking double century against South Africa in Cape Town when he blitzed 285 off 198 balls.

Stokes also enjoyed a year in which he became one of the first names on England’s team sheets across all three formats.

Bairstow, 26, established himself in the England Test team, displacing Jos Buttler after amassing 1,108 runs in county cricket.

The wicket-keeper played a major role in guiding Yorkshire to a second successive County Championship title.

New Zealand women’s cricketer Suzie Bates was named as the leading female cricketer after hitting a sixth ODI century in February.

You can see Stokes and Bairstow in action when England take on Sri Lanka and Pakistan in ODIs at The SSE SWALEC this summer. Tickets available from here