Cumbrian all-rounder Ben Stokes' remarkable, match-winning innings against Australia at Headingley has topped a public poll of the 50 greatest performances by England cricketers in the last 50 years.

The survey of 1,004 England cricket fans, carried out by Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) and NatWest to mark the 50th anniversary of PCA Awards today, resulted in three of Cockermouth man Stokes’ performances being named in the top 10.

Sixty per cent of England fans placed Stokes’ heroics at Headingley – taking 3-56 and scoring 135 not out to seal an unbelievable win against Australia in the third Ashes Test in August – in their top five England performances.

His 84 not out against New Zealand at Lord’s in the dramatic Cricket World Cup final came second in the poll after two fifths of England fans voted for it.

And Stokes' double century against South Africa at Cape Town in 2016 was voted seventh, giving Stokes a hat-trick of entries in the top 10 greatest England performances since 1970.

"When you are out there and trying to win the game you are in such a bubble you don’t let anything else get into that bubble," Stokes told the Professional Cricketers’ Association as he gave an insight into his unforgettable Headingley ton.

"Obviously, you are aware of the atmosphere and the situation and the crowd but then when I eventually hit the winning runs, the feelings I had, just went and [I thought] ‘oh my god, this is incredible’.

"I was actually in the moment like everyone else was at that time, taking in the atmosphere, taking in the noise and looking around because everybody who was there in that ground on that day lived the same emotions as I did throughout that whole day.

"So to be able to take it all in and share that moment with them out there, [it] was pretty cool and something I’ll never forget."

Former Cockermouth Cricket Club man and Cockermouth School student Stokes also reflected on the Cricket World Cup final and the impact a remarkable summer has had on English cricket.

"It will be something I will look back at in 15-20 years’ time and truly understand and appreciate what those two occasions meant and what they did for cricket," the 28-year-old said.

"We did not just want to win the World Cup and the Ashes this summer, we wanted to win over the country in terms of what we do with our cricket. We wanted to reach out to new fans, we wanted more people to take up cricket on what we could potentially achieve.

"We have won the World Cup and had a brilliant summer which is what we wanted, but I am also 100 per cent convinced we have created new fans, inspired the next generation of England players and got people watching cricket again to a bigger extent than any of us could have imagined."

Christchurch-born Stokes' next assignment with England will be to head to the country of his birth as England take on New Zealand this winter.