England Test captain Ben Stokes achieved a rare milestone in Manchester on Thursday by taking a five-wicket haul against India, finishing with figures of 5/72. This accomplishment makes Ben Stokes only the fourth cricketer in men’s Test history to score 10 or more centuries and take at least five five-wicket hauls. Ben Stokes joins an elite group of legendary all-rounders including Garfield Sobers, Ian Botham, and Jacques Kallis with this achievement. He currently has 13 Test hundreds and five five-wicket hauls to his name.
Garfield Sobers, one of cricket’s greatest all-rounders, completed his career with 26 Test hundreds and six five-wicket hauls. England’s Ian Botham accumulated 14 Test centuries and 27 five-wicket hauls during his career.Jacques Kallis, South Africa’s most complete cricketer, recorded 45 Test hundreds and five five-wicket hauls in his distinguished career. Ben Stokes is currently the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing series with 16 wickets. His victims include prominent batters Yashasvi Jaiswal, Gill, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, and Sai Sudharsan.
Ben Stokes delivered a remarkable performance during the final day of the third Lord’s Test. He bowled nearly 10 consecutive overs and claimed KL Rahul’s crucial wicket.
Working alongside Jofra Archer, they reduced India to 82/7 during a 193-run chase. Ben Stokes later broke a resilient 35-run partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah, with Bumrah facing 54 deliveries.At Lord’s, Ben Stokes bowled 44 overs and claimed five wickets. He also contributed with the bat, scoring 44 and 33 runs, and executed a crucial run-out of Rishabh Pant, earning him the Player of the Match award.
While nowadays everyone citing the importance of Workload management, A question really baffles that Ben Stokes who has bowled 127 overs across the series until now for his 16 wickets alongside important knocks with the bat just defies this workload talks in thin air. Former English all -rounder Moeen Ali is in all praise of this maverick all round skipper Ben Stokes and has prasied laurels for him.
Ben Stokes gives freedom to youngsters- Moeen Ali
In his nearly decade-long Test career, Moeen Ali played under three different captains — Alastair Cook, Joe Root and Ben Stokes. Having witnessed England’s cricketing metamorphosis up close, the former all-rounder has no hesitation in admitting that ‘full-on leader’ Ben Stokes has been able to bring the best out of his players as he leads by example.
“That’s what people love about him in the dressing room, including senior players like Joe Root and Jimmy Anderson, who have been there longer than him. It is love for captaincy and his commitment that make him stand out…”
Moving on from its traditional approach, England has changed the template of Test cricket with ‘Bazball’, and Ben Stokes’ fearless leadership has been at its core. Having played with him for a long time, Moeen Ali believes that backing the players to the hilt has been Stokes’ biggest strength.
“Stokes has played a massive role in the team. His impact on the way they play has been huge — even better than when I was still playing. They’ve had many more wins in a shorter period. Both Stokes and (Brendon) McCullum have identified players who can score runs at this level and handle different types of bowling,” Moeen said.
“From the start, Stokesy knew exactly what he wanted as captain. Having played in sides that struggled over the years, he had a clear vision and stuck to it, backing himself and his method. He’s especially good with younger players, giving them the freedom to play their natural game…”
Since 2020, Ben Stokes has led England in 37 Tests, of which it won 22, lost 13 and drew once.His performance is particularly noteworthy considering his recent fitness challenges that affected his hamstring and knees. This return to form is crucial for England as they prepare for an away Ashes series against Australia in November.
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