Ben Stokes named BBC's Sports Personality of the Year

It was a hat trick of wins for English cricket at the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year awards on Sunday evening in Aberdeen. The World Cup-winning squad were crowned Team of the Year while Jos Buttler's run out of Martin Guptill in the final at Lord's was voted the Greatest Sporting Moment of the Year. And then the big one: Ben Stokes became the first cricketer to win the main Sports Personality of the Year award since Andrew Flintoff in 2005. For a sport not always front and centre in the national consciousness, it was quite an evening. This year, Stokes finished ahead of Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and athlete Dina Asher-Smith, who were second and third respectively. He is just the fifth cricketer to win the award, following in the footsteps of Flintoff, Sir Ian Botham, David Steele, and Jim Laker. Considering the Sports Personality of the Year is essentially a popularity contest, Stokes' victory says much about the impact he has made on the sporting landscape this summer.

"It's an individual award, but I play in a team sport"- Ben Stokes



It was no surprise. Stokes has had a fine year. He played crucial innings in England's World Cup victory at Lord's in July, followed by good series against Australia. "It's an individual award, but I play in a team sport," said Stokes after he was announced as the winner. "The best thing about that is you get to share special moments with team-mates, backroom staff, management who make days like we had in the summer possible. I'm up here receiving this award not just by myself but without the efforts that you put in this summer, I wouldn't be up here doing that. "Two years ago was a tough time for me in my life. I've had so many people help me through that. Family to me is more important to me than what I do for a living... I come home from a good day or a bad day and they're there for me no matter what."