Ben Stokes‘international career will be remembered for countless match wins, World Cup glory and unforgettable Ashes heroics. Yet, among his many achievements, the England all-rounder leaves with an incredibly unique Test record that highlights the versatility he brought to the game.
Ben Stokes unique statistics
Stokes, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, remains the only player in Test history to have batted in all 11 batting positions and dismissed batsmen to occupy all 11 positions in the batting order. He is also credited with being the only cricketer to have caught batsmen from all 11 batting positions in Test cricket, although TimesofIndia.com could not independently confirm that statistic.It’s a statistical rarity that reflects the extraordinary range of roles he played during his 15-year international career. Whether he was opening the batting, rescuing the middle order or finishing the innings lower down the order, Stokes answered England’s call whenever needed. With the ball, he also claimed wickets in every batting position, highlighting his value as a true all-rounder.The 35-year-old brought down the curtain on his international career after the recently concluded third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. His journey to England began in 2011 and included more than 250 performances in various formats.His retirement closes a chapter on one of England’s greatest modern cricketers. Stokes played a decisive role in two of the country’s most famous victories in 2019, first with his unbeaten 84 in the dramatic ODI World Cup final against New Zealand and later with a remarkable unbeaten 135 against Australia at Headingley to keep England’s Ashes hopes alive.He also recorded a Test career best of 258 against South Africa in Cape Town in 2016 and retired as one of only two players in Test history to achieve an incredible double of 7000 runs and 250 wickets. The only cricketer to achieve that feat is Jacques Kallis.Stokes also redefined aggressive batting in the longest format, finishing with 138 sixes, the most of any batsman in Test cricket. He is one of only three batsmen to have hit more than 100 sixes in the format.His retirement came shortly after an off-field controversy following England’s first Test win over New Zealand. Stokes and Gus Atkinson were initially ruled out of the second Test after breaking a midnight curfew while an investigation into an incident at a London nightclub was carried out.Cricket’s regulator later found insufficient evidence to establish any breach of the ECB’s cricket regulations and cleared both players of any breach of the regulations. The ECB confirmed that Stokes was not involved in the altercation and did not witness any incident, while Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks. However, both players were given written warnings for breaching contractual standards of conduct, and their absence from the second Test was deemed adequate punishment.Although the statistics only capture a fraction of Stokes’ legacy, his unique place in the Test books serves as another reminder of just how adaptable and influential he was. There are few players who have affected matches in so many different ways, and none have combined batting versatility with wicket-taking in every batting position quite like Ben Stokes.
