Ben Stokes Topples Jason Holder To Become The Number One All-Rounder In Tests

As England captain Joe Root said after their victory in the second Test against the West Indies, that sky is the limit for Ben Stokes, it indeed is. As per updated ICC rankings, Ben Stokes has dethroned the West Indian captain Jason Holder to occupy the number one all-rounder’s spot in Tests. Stokes also left behind Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne to become the number three batsman. England’s Test vice-captain has been in the form of his life over the past 12 months.

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Across two Tests, Ben Stokes reached two significant landmarks. In the first Test in Southampton, the New Zealand-born all-rounder became only the fifth player to reach 150 wickets and 4000 runs. He is the second-fastest player in the history of Test cricket to do so, achieving it in 64 appearances. Former West Indian all-rounder Gary Sobers did it in 63 Tests.

In the second Test at the Old Trafford, the 29-year old became the fifth all-rounder in the longest format to complete ten tons and pick up 150 scalps. The likes of Jacques Kallis, Gary Sobers, Ian Botham, and Ravi Shastri come in the exclusive list. Kallis tops the list with 45 centuries and 292 wickets.

Ben Stokes received the man of the match award in the second Test:

With his brilliant all-round display and rapidly switching gears according to the situation, Ben Stokes deservedly earned the man of the match in the second Test. The southpaw scored a cautious knock of 176 in the first innings and scored 78 off only 56 deliveries as England were chasing a victory and ultimately secured a series-levelling win despite losing one entire day due to rain.

Alongside that, Stokes also picked up three wickets and fielded brilliantly as well. While he did not have the desired start as the skipper, he reinstated his importance as the player. With 497 points, Ben Stokes has the highest number of points by any all-rounder since Kallis accumulated 517 in April 2008. He is also the first player from England to bag the top spot since Andrew Flintoff did it in May 2006.

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