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World Cup Hero Ben Stokes Is Now The Clear Frontrunner For Sports Personality Of The Year

World Cup Hero Ben Stokes Is Now The Clear Frontrunner For Sports Personality Of The Year

Ben Stokes is well ahead of England stars Joe Root and Eoin Morgan in the race to be crowned the 2019 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Ben Stokes has become a clear favourite to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award for his World Cup heroics with England, according to bookies.

The England all-rounder, 28, produced a magnificent display with the bat as he carried his side across the finish line against New Zealand.

And Oddschecker has found that bookies have drastically slashed odds on Stokes to win the award, which have plummeted from 28/1 to 2/1 overnight.

Punters are firmly backing the New Zealand-born British star to scoop SPOTY, with 89 per cent of bets now being placed on him.

But Stokes isn't the only England star in contention for the award.

Joe Root and England captain Eoin Morgan are both on 20/1 odds, while Jofra Archer is an outsider at 33/1.

Stokes has moved well ahead of previous favourites Lewis Hamilton and Raheem Sterling, according to Oddschecker.

PA
PA

Formula One star Hamilton, 34, is 7/1 while Manchester City ace Sterling, 24, is the third favourite at 11/1.

Posted below are the odds for each sports star vying for SPOTY.

  • Ben Stokes: 2/1
  • Lewis Hamilton: 7/1
  • Raheem Sterling: 11/1
  • Dina Asher-Smith: 12/1
  • Geraint Thomas: 16/1
  • Joe Root: 20/1
  • Eoin Morgan: 20/1
  • Jofra Archer: 33/1
PA
PA

"The magic Ben Stokes produced yesterday when dead on his feet is worthy of an individual accolade, and his zero to hero story has understandably catapulted him to the top of this list," says Oddschecker spokesman Callum Wilson.

"In the imminent Ashes series, some of this crop of cricketers will have an opportunity to carve their names even deeper into the history books.

"It'll be no surprise to see a few more of the World Cup heroes making their way up this SPOTY market."

The winner of the 2019 Sports Personality of the Year will be announced at a ceremony in Birmingham on 15th December.

New Zealand set a target of 241 at Lord's and Stokes' unbeaten 84 fired England to level the scores in the final over.

With the scores tied, the match went into a super over to determine the winner and Stokes returned to the crease to hit eight runs off three balls.

England set a target of 15 runs for the Black Caps, who also hit the same score in the super over.

But it was Morgan's side that were crowned world champions after hitting more boundaries in the match against New Zealand.

England hit a combined total of 26 fours and sixes compared to the Black Caps' 17.

The final delivery that led them to their first World Cup title in cricket has also received an incredible fan-made tribute featuring the Titanic theme.

Should Stokes win SPOTY?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: PA/BBC

Topics: New Zealand, Cricket, World Cup, Cricket News, Ben Stokes

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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