Ben Stokes joins elite club in unique record during ENG vs IND 4th Test in Manchester

Ben Stokes always stands up whenever his team requires him the most, whether with the bat or ball in hand. Joe Root, the former England captain, shed light on how nervous he was when the New Zealand-born went through two long spells of bowling during their 22-run victory in the third Test at Lord’s, given that the all-rounder has a long history of injury.

At Old Trafford, Ben Stokes again raised his bar with the ball. He finished with figures of 5/72 in 24 overs, including three maidens at an economy rate of three. The right-arm pacer picked up the vital wickets of Sai Sudharsan, the opponent captain Shubman Gill, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, and the debutant Anshul Kamboj.

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But with this feat, the veteran put himself in an elite club of iconic records to have the combination of 10+ centuries and 5+ five-wicket hauls in men’s Test. He partnered the three other players- Ian Botham, Gary Sobers, and Jacques Kallis, for the record. Stokes now has five five-wicket hauls and 13 centuries for his 6891 runs and 229 wickets in Tests.

Ben Stokes joins elite club of 10+ Test centuries and 5+ fifers in men’s Tests

Botham tops the list with 27 five-wicket hauls and 14 centuries in the longest format for his 5200 runs and 383 wickets in 102 red-ball fixtures. The second player on the list is the former West Indies legendary all-rounder, Gary Sobers, who collected 26 centuries and six fifers for his 8032 runs and 235 scalps in 93 games.

The third player on the list is Kallis, who scored 45 centuries and picked up five five-wicket hauls in Tests for his 13289 runs in 166 games. Many players have scored 10+ Test centuries but couldn’t qualify for the 5+ fifers in Tests.

Due to the magical performance of the England captain, they were able to restrict the tourists to 358 runs. It could have been better had Rishabh Pant not scored a half-century with a fractured toe. But at one point where they looked good to go past the 400+ run mark, Stokes showed how vital he would prove to be in the upcoming Ashes 2025/26 trip down under by the end of the year.