Ben Stokes becoming injured at the start of the 2010 season meant that Stokes continued playing in all forms of the game for Durham. Having had a very successful debut season in first-class cricket he was given a place in the England Performance Programme and travelled to Australia during the 2010–11 Ashes. On 2 January 2015, Stokes joined the Melbourne Renegades of Australia's Big Bash League for the remainder of the season as a replacement for Jesse Ryder, who was ruled out through injury. On 13 February 2017, Stokes was appointed vice-captain of England's test team, deputising under Joe Root, who was
Gerard Stokes Gerard Stokes Gerard James Stokes (born 1955) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 1980s, and coach of the 1980s to the 2010s, who represented New Zealand. He is a former coach of the Serbian national side, and father of England international cricketer Ben Stokes. Stokes began playing rugby league early in life. In high school, he would sneak out of his boarding school in New Zealand every Saturday morning to play rugby league for Canterbury. He was a Schoolboy Kiwi in 1971 before later representing New Zealand in one test match and playing for