The winner of the coveted award is voted for by the public from a pre-selected shortlist. The panel responsible for producing the shortlist take into consideration not only the sporting achievements of potential nominees but also the impact the individual has had beyond each sportsperson’s sport.

In the history of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, cricketers have featured in the top three of the vote on 11 occasions. As well as the five times a cricketer has gone home with the award, Geoffrey Boycott and Ian Botham (twice) have placed in second, while Graham Gooch, Andrew Flintoff and Botham again have all placed in third. Here are the five who managed to finish atop the podium to claim the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

BBC Sports Personality of the Year – 1956: Jim Laker

Ben Stokes became the first cricketer to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 14 years when he won the award in 2019. The award crowned a stunning year for Stokes, one that saw him star in two of English cricket’s most memorable moments. Stokes was the Player of the Match in this summer’s World Cup Final and the scorer of 135* in England’s epic one-wicket victory in the Headingley Ashes Test – a result that kept the series alive.