Ben Stokes achieves what no other England cricketer could in 148 years of Test cricket, puts India to the sword

Hindustan Times

a day ago

It took some time to come but it came at last. England captain Ben Stokes sent cricket statisticians into overdrive by slamming his 14th Test century -- his first in two years -- in the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford in Manchester. The left-handed all-rounder reached the milestone with a leg glance for four off Jasprit Bumrah, ending a personal wait of over two years for a Test hundred. England's Ben Stokes acknowledges fans as he walks after losing his wicket for 141 runs(Action Images via Reuters)
Resuming the day on 77 not out, Stokes batted with composure and intent, reaching three figures in 164 balls, including nine boundaries. His celebration was a poignant one — a clenched fist, a glance to the heavens, and a crooked finger gesture in memory of his late father, Ged Stokes, before raising his bat to the roaring Old Trafford crowd.
Stokes' last century had come in June 2023 — a blazing 155 against Australia at Lord's. His latest effort was more measured but equally impactful, reinforcing his stature as one of England's great modern Test players.
In the process, Stokes also became the first English cricketer in 148 years of Test cricket to achieve the rare double scoring more than 7000 runs along with picking more than 200 wickets in red-ball cricket. Overall, he became the third in the world after Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis.
Double of 7000 runs and 200 wickets in Tests
Garry Sobers (8032 runs & 235 wkts)
Jacques Kallis (13289 runs & 292 wkts)
Ben Stokes (7000* runs & 229 wkts)*
England, already leading the five-match series 2-1, posted a mammoth 669, establishing a commanding 311-run lead in the first innings. The innings followed another all-round masterclass from the England captain, who had earlier taken 5 for 72 to help restrict India to 358 in their first innings.
With that performance, Stokes became just the fourth England player to score a century and take five wickets in the same Test, joining the legendary trio of Tony Greig, Ian Botham, and Gus Atkinson. Among captains, he became only the fourth overall.
Captains with a 100 and 5-fer in the same Test
Denis Atkinson (WI) vs AUS, Bridgetown, 1955
Garry Sobers (WI) vs ENG, Leeds, 1966
Mushtaq Mohammad (PAK) vs WI, Port of Spain, 1977
Imran Khan (PAK) vs IND, Faisalabad, 1983
Ben Stokes (ENG) vs IND, Manchester, 2025*
After reaching his hundred, Stokes continued to entertain. He drove Washington Sundar straight down the ground for six — though his reaction suggested he thought he might have miscued it — and followed up with a reverse-swept boundary off the very next ball.
Stokes finished with 141 off 198 balls. He was out caught off Ravindra Jadeja's bowling.
Earlier in the day, England resumed on 544 for 7, with Stokes joined by Liam Dawson, who was making his first Test appearance since 2017. Dawson added only five runs to his overnight score of 21 before a Jasprit Bumrah delivery that kept low crashed into his stumps — a potential warning for India's batsmen.
The innings also followed a record-breaking effort by Joe Root, who became the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket with a majestic 150 on Friday.