5 best performances by Ben Stokes in test cricket

Ben Stokes will play 100th test match of his career when England take on India in the third test in Rajkot.

Ben Stokes is all set to make his 100th appearance in test cricket on Thursday when England take on India at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. This match will begin from February 15, 2024, and will see both sides trying to win and gain a lead in the ongoing five-match test series.

Stokes will be the 76th international player to reach the great milestone in the conventional style, and the 16th for England. The latest English player to reach the milestone was former England captain Joe Root, who did so during a test match in India in February 2021. He celebrated the achievement with a classic double century.

Having made his debut in the 2013/14 Ashes series in Australia, Stokes has so far amassed 6251 runs in 99 matches in test cricket, picked 197 wickets and took 105 catches.

And today, to celebrate his upcoming milestone, we take a look at 5 of the best Ben Stokes knocks in test cricket.

Here are the 5 best performances by Ben Stokes in test cricket:

5. 176 vs West Indies, Manchester, 2020:

This test was played in Manchester during the Covid-19 pandemic and was held at Old Trafford behind close doors and extreme precautions for the players. This was the second test of the series and England batted first after West Indies captain Jason Holder won the toss.

England posted 469/9d with Ben Stokes leading the way with 176 including 17 fours and two sixes. He got support from Dom Sibley (120). West Indies then made 287 runs in their first do, while England responded by 129/3d. Set 312 runs to win, West Indies were bundled out for 198 runs with Ben Stokes adding to two wickets to his first innings scalp of one wicket.

Stokes was named Player of the Match for his 176 and 3 wickets as England won by 113 runs.  

4. 155 vs Australia, Lord’s, 2023:

This knock from Ben Stokes came in the recent Ashes 2023 when England clashed against Australia at the Lord’s. Australia were put into bat first by England and posted 416 runs with Steve Smith making 110 while David Warner and Travis Head made fifties. England responded with 325 runs with Ben Duckett making 98.

Australia posted 279 runs in the second innings and set England 371 runs to win the Test. Duckett again made 83 runs, but England’s batting collapsed in the chase. The only notable contributor was captain Ben Stokes, who smashed 155 with 9 fours and 9 sixes. Australia got nightmares of Headingley 2019 once more as Stokes smashed them to all corners of Lord’s.

But in the end, England folded for 327 runs and lost the Test by 43 runs, despite Stokes’s heroic knock.

3. 120 vs Australia, Perth, 2013:

England were getting mauled by Mitchell Johnson in the 2013 Ashes series and the caravan reached in Perth for the third Test at WACA. Australia batted first and posted 385 runs with Steve Smith (111), David Warner (60) and Brad Haddin (55) being the main scorers. In reply, England could only manage 251 runs in the first innings as Australia bowlers ran riot.

In second innings, Australia posted 369/6d with David Warner (112) and Shane Watson (103) scoring tons. Set in an improbable 504 runs to win, England couldn’t manage to show any fightback early on, until Ben Stokes, playing his first test series came onto the scene. He smashed 120 with 18 fours and 1 six, taking England to 353 runs. This was only his second test and Stokes was undaunted on a WACA pitch bursting with deep, wide cracks. He gained Australia’s grudging respect with a hard-nosed ton and announced his arrival in style.

2. 258 vs South Africa, Cape Town, 2016:

Ben Stokes’ highest test score came in the second test between England and South Africa in Cape Town in 2016. Alastair Cook won the toss and chose to bat first and his batters made merry. Alex Hales made 60 and Joe Root made 50. But the fun began when Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow came together.

The duo added 399 runs for the 6th wicket with Bairstow scoring 150* in 191 balls with 18 fours and 2 sixes. But the hero of the test innings was Ben Stokes who smoked 258 runs in 198 balls with 30 fours and 11 sixes. He hit the fastest 250 in tests in just 196 balls and it was a brutal show of belligerent hitting by Stokes in test cricket.

1. 135* vs Australia, Headingley, 2019

Ben Stokes’ best performance with the bat in test cricket came in the 2019 Headingley Test against Australia. Thanks to fifties by David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne, Australia posted 179 in 1st innings of the Leeds test as Jofra Archer picked 6/45. In response, England were shot out for 67 runs as Josh Hazlewood took 5/30.

Australia in second innings, made 246 runs with Labuschagne making 80 runs, while Stokes picked three wickets. Set 359 runs to win, England were reduced to 286/9 at one stage and Australia smelled a win. But Stokes played the innings of his lifetime on the final day, as he dominated the strike in his last wicket partnership with Jack Leach. Stokes added 76 runs with Jack Leach (1) for the tenth wicket partnership in the game.

Stokes hammered 135* with 11 fours and 8 sixes to lead England to a famous 1-wicket win in Headingley and confirmed his stature as one of the greatest of all time for England in tests. Stokes

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