England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been named as the leading cricketer in the world in famed cricket annual Wisden's 157th Almanack.

The flame-haired Durham lad is celebrated for his heroics with the bat and ball in England's historic World Cup victory at Lord's and also for his legendary match-saving innings during the Headingley Ashes test in 2019.

Stokes' glittering 2019 speaks for itself.

In the 2019 World Cup, the left-hander scored 465 runs at an average of 66.42, including five half-centuries and a man-of-the-match award for his performance in the final at Lord's where he scored an unbeaten 84.

His most notable innings of 2019 was undisputedly his match-saving 135* to guide England to a nail-biting one-wicket victory in the third Ashes test at Headingley in August.

Stokes and spinner Jack Leach put in a gritty performance in their partnership of 84* to help England win the game and thus draw the series 2-2.

Throughout the five matches he also accumulated 441 runs, including two half centuries and two centuries and his 13 sixes were the highest number scored by any batsman in that series.

The 28 year-old, who also won Sports Personality of the Year in 2019, is the first Englishman to win the accolade since Andrew Flintoff in 2005.

Editor Lawrence Booth wrote: "Without him, this Almanack might have been another English hard-luck story.

"Instead, it’s a celebration. Stokes is their all-weather cricketer, a giant come rain or shine.

"The next few years should be fun," he added.

World Cup super-over hero, Jofra Archer, was named in Wisden's five cricketers of the year, alongside three Australians; Pat Cummins, Marnus Labuschagne and Ellyse Perry, as well as Essex off-spinner Simon Harmer.

Perry, who missed out on Australia's victory in the World Cup T20 final due to injury, becomes the first non-English female player to make the top five.