Ben StokesThe international career will be remembered for countless match-winning performances, World Cup glory and unforgettable Ashes heroics. Yet among his many achievements, the England all-rounder walks away with a remarkably unique Test record that underlines the versatility he brought to the game.
Unique statistics of Ben Stokes
Stokes, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, remains the only player in Test history to have both batted in all 11 batting positions and dismissed batsmen occupying all 11 positions in the batting order. He is also widely credited with being the only cricketer to have taken catches from all 11 batting positions in Test cricket, although TimesofIndia.com could not independently verify this statistic.It is a statistical rarity that reflects the extraordinary range of roles he has achieved in a 15-year international career. Whether opening the batting, saving the middle order or finishing an innings lower down the order, Stokes has answered England’s call whenever needed. With the ball, he also claimed wickets in every batting position, highlighting his value as a genuine all-rounder.The 35-year-old brought the curtain down on his international career after the recently concluded third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. His journey in England started in 2011 and he has made more than 250 appearances in all formats.His retirement closes the chapter on one of England’s greatest modern cricketers. Stokes played a defining role in two of the country’s most iconic victories in 2019, first with his unbeaten 84 in the dramatic ODI World Cup final against New Zealand and then with an extraordinary 135 not out against Australia at Headingley to keep England’s Ashes hopes alive.He also recorded a career-best Test score of 258 against South Africa in Cape Town in 2016 and retires as one of only two players in Test history to complete the remarkable double of over 7,000 runs and 250 wickets. The only other cricketer to achieve the 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 breaching the team’s midnight curfew while an investigation was conducted into an incident at a London nightclub.The Regulator of Cricket later found insufficient evidence to establish any breach of the ECB’s Cricket Regulations and cleared both players of any regulatory offences. 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 received written warnings for breaching the standards of contractual behavior, with their omission from the second Test considered an appropriate sanction.While statistics only capture part of Stokes’ legacy, his unique place in the Test record books serves as another reminder of how adaptable and influential he was. Few players have influenced matches in so many different ways, and no one has combined batting versatility with wicket-taking in every batting position like Ben Stokes.
