After his heroics which got England their maiden World Cup triumph, Ben Stokes was nominated for the coveted New Zealander of Year award alongside blackcaps skipper Kane Williamson.
Stokes, who moved to England from Christchurch at the tender age of 13, has gone onto represent Durham and England. The all-rounder was instrumental in the nation’s World Cup triumph with 465 runs and a man of the match performance in the final.
After the declarations of the nominees, Stokes has made it clear that he does not intend to compete for the award and has thus pulled out of the race. The all-rounder released a statement soon after explaining the motives behind the decision and has asked the Kiwis to rally behind Williamson and cast his vote for him in the process as well. He said:
“I am flattered to be nominated for New Zealander of the Year. I am proud of my New Zealand and Maori heritage but it would not sit right with me to be nominated for this prestigious award. There are people who deserve this recognition more and have done a lot more for the country of New Zealand,”
“I have helped England lift a World Cup and my life is firmly established in the UK – it has been since I was 12-years old,” “I feel the whole country should align their support to New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. He should be revered as a Kiwi legend,”
“He led his team in this World Cup with distinction and honour. He was the player of the tournament and an inspirational leader of men. He shows humility and empathy to every situation and is an all-round good bloke. He typifies what it is to be a New Zealander.
“He would be a worthy recipient of this accolade. New Zealand, fully support him. He deserves it and gets my vote,”
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