Ben Stokes: who is England Test cricket captain, who is wife Clare Ratcliffe, do they have children together?

Ben Stokes set to release new Amazon Prime documentary just a few days after disastrous Test loss to South Africa
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England will begin their second Test against South Africa after losing by an innings and 12 runs in the first just one day before Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes is set to be released worldwide on Amazon Prime.

The beginning of the summer saw great turmoil in English cricket with both the coach and captaincy changing hands.

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Brendon McCullum took on the role of the new coach while 2019 Ashes and World Cup hero stepped up to take on the vacant captaincy role.

England triumphantly beat New Zealand 3-0 before drawing their ongoing Test series against India in victorious fashion, but recently suffered a humiliating loss against the Proteas.

Now, as Ben Stokes hopes to lead his side from the front at Old Trafford this weekend, he will once again be the star of the show as his documentary is released worldwide.

So who is Ben Stokes and who are his wife and children?

Who is Ben Stokes?

Born in Christchurch New Zealand, Ben Stokes moved to Durham as a child and has gone on to represent Durham County Cricket, the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, the Melbourne Renegades in the Australian Big Bash League and his country, England.

Stokes at the 2010 U19 World CupStokes at the 2010 U19 World Cup
Stokes at the 2010 U19 World Cup
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He is the son of former rugby league player Gerard ‘Ged’ Stokes and has England and Maori ancestry.

He made his first-class debut for Durham against the Marylebone Cricket Club in 2010, having made his one-day debut for the county the year before.

In his first-class debut, Stokes bagged half a century as well as taking one wicket.

He has 163 first class match appearances with a total of 9,357 runs and 361 wickets, with a batting average of 38.98 and bowling average of 30.26.

Ben Stokes, England superstar

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A successful debut season in first-class cricket saw him earn a place in the England Performance Programme before going on to make his ODI debut against Ireland in 2011.

He was then selected for the England 2013-14 Ashes series against Australia and took the wickets of Michael Clarke and Peter Siddle on debut.

Stokes sterling year came in 2019 ,when he produced several match-winning performances during the ODI World Cup before going on to win an iconic Headingley Ashes Test match.

In the opening match of the World Cup against South Africa, Stokes scored 89 runs off 79 balls, took two wickets, ran out Dwaine Pretorius and took two catches, one of which being described as “one of the greatest catches of all time.” by commentator Nasser Hussain.

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He then shone against Sri Lanka and Australia before producing yet another match-saving performance in the final of the tournament against New Zealand.

Ben Stokes celebrates “one of the greatest catches” at 2019 World CupBen Stokes celebrates “one of the greatest catches” at 2019 World Cup
Ben Stokes celebrates “one of the greatest catches” at 2019 World Cup

Just a month later, Stokes then played a pivotal role in enabling England to draw the 2019 Ashes series against Australia.

The third Test match saw England bowled out for just 67 in the first innings and certain defeat looked inevitable. However, in came Stokes who put on an unbeaten 135*, which included hitting 11 fours and eight sixes to chase down 359.

His innings, given the match situation and circumstances in which he was playing, is frequently cited described as one of the greatest of all time.

Who are Stokes’ wife and children?

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Stokes’ wife, Clare Ratcliffe, is a primary school teacher and the pair first met after a Lancashire v Durham game at Old Trafford.

The pair first had a long-distance relationship while Stokes played in Durham and Ratcliffe studied in Taunton.

Their first child, Layton, was born in 2012 and they welcomed their daughter Libby in 2014. The pair got engaged back in 2013 and after a four year engagement tied the knot in October 2017.

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