WI Vs ENG: Ben Stokes Completes 5,000 Runs In Tests; Joins Elite List Of Players
Updated - 18 Mar 2022, 12:12 AM
England all-rounder Ben Stokes completed 5,000 runs in Test cricket during the second day of the second Test match against West Indies in Bridgetown, Barbados, on March 17, 2022. With this achievement, Stokes has joined an elite list of players with over 5,000 runs and 150 plus wickets in the longest format of the game.
England took complete control of the second Test match against West Indies as Ben Stokes and Joe Root scored runs at will. Resuming on 243 for three after Dan Lawrence succumbed in the final over of the day on Wednesday, England added another 125 runs without loss in a dominant morning session.
Stokes was in blistering form with the bat as he raced off to 89 runs off just 92 balls before lunch, dismantling the Windies attack with a ferocious assault, smashing 11 fours and four sixes in the process. Root, on the other hand, just continued from day one and passed the 150-run mark just before lunch on day two.
Ben Stokes Joins The Likes Of Jacques Kallis, Ian Botham And Kapil Dev With 5,000 Plus Test Runs And Over 150 Test Wickets
However, the most enthralling moment of Stokes’ belligerent batting came in the 113th over of England innings, as the 30-year-old proceeded to hit Alzarri Joseph for three consecutive boundaries to bring up the 100-run stand with Root. He then smashed the West Indian seamer into the stands with an outrageous one-legged six to pass the 5,000 Test runs milestone.
With this milestone achieved, Ben Stokes became just the fifth all-rounder in the history of Test cricket with over 5,000 runs and more than 150 wickets to his name. Stokes joined the elite list of players which includes legendary cricketers like Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, and Jacques Kallis.
Players with 5000-plus runs and 150-plus wickets in Tests:
Garfield Sobers – 8032 runs and 235 wickets in 93 Tests
Ian Botham – 5200 runs and 383 wickets in 102 Tests
Kapil Dev – 5248 runs and 434 wickets in 131 Tests
Jacques Kallis – 13289 runs and 292 wickets in 166 Tests
Ben Stokes – 5005* runs and 170 wickets in 78 Tests
At the time of writing this piece, England had made 401/4 in 126 overs with Joe Root falling on 153, while Ben Stokes was unbeaten on 101 and Jonny Bairstow on 16 for company.
