Ben Stokes has been named as the captain of the England Test side following Joe Root’s decision to step down from the role.
Stokes enters the position during a period of transition for the embattled national side, which comes off the back of humbling series defeats against Australia and the West Indies.
Stokes joins the newly appointed ECB Managing Director of Men’s Cricket Rob Keys, who replaces Ashely Giles after three years at the helm.
Stokes and Keys will be looking for a thorough reset after a botched attempt at one during the recent tour to the Caribbean, which saw veteran seamers Stuart Broad and James Anderson dropped from the side.
Stokes takes up the coveted but taxing role, despite having huge responsibility as a player who plays a major part in England’s attack with the ball and run-scoring with the bat.
Stokes took an break from cricket between July and October of 2021, following a broken finger and a decision to prioritise his mental health.
Writing in this paper in October, Stokes said: “I had also been struggling with bubble life and events off the field. I don’t want anyone to feel the way I did, because I wasn’t in a good place and I’m not afraid to admit it.”
Through his brave decision to step away from the game, Stokes became a key figure in the movement of professional sports people to publicly speak out about the importance of self-care, family and work-life balance, alongside the likes of tennis megastar Naomi Osaka.
Stokes is an outspoken advocate of the importance of family. But is he married and does he have any children?
Is Ben Stokes married?
Ben Stokes is married to Clare Ratcliffe, who has worked as a primary school teacher.
The pair married at St Mary's Church in East Brent in 2017.
The likes of Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Alastair Cook and Paul Collingwood were all present to give the couple support on the big day.
Does Ben Stokes have any children?
Yes, Ben Stokes and Clare Ratcliffe have two children together, Layton and Libby, with Ben becoming a dad at the age of 21.
Speaking about parenthood with the Daily Mail in 2013, Ben discussed how it had forced him to grow up fast.
He said: "It has changed me being a dad because when you have a baby and you're only 22, that brings a lot of responsibility with it.
"I still think I am a bit of a lad but there were just a few things in my life that needed a bit of attention and I've attended to them now."
This paper reported in 2018 that Libby has coeliac disease, which makes her allergic to gluten.
Clare has in the past been an outspoken educator on the condition, using her platform on Instagram to raise awareness.
In 2018 she posted: "Going to be documenting how we find eating out and staying in hotel’s with this little monster who suffers with #coeliacdisease.
"I will be putting it all in my stories and saving it to my highlights so take a look."
Speaking to the Times, Ben said he was getting his lad Layton into cricket, using it as a parenting weapon. He said: "If Layton loses his concentration I say, ‘Well, I'm not going to play with you then if you're being like that.”
Former England fast bowler Steve Harmison has claimed Ben's talents were down to him becoming a father.
He said: "Ben's an unbelievably talented boy, but what made him the cricketer he is was becoming a father.
"When his son Layton was born, you could see a change in him. That was when he started fulfilling his potential. He realised there was somebody he needed to provide for and look after."
