Following Ben Stokes’ retirement from international cricket, this article revisits the England all-rounder’s illustrious career, highlighting his six greatest achievements, from World Cup glory and the Headingley miracle to the ‘Bazball’ revolution.
England Test captain and one of the greatest all-rounders, Ben Stokes, officially retired from his illustrious international career after his team’s 160-run defeat to New Zealand in the third and final Test of the series at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Monday, June 29.
Stokes already announced his international retirement on the penultimate day of the Test series finale against the Black Caps n the dressing room ahead of the fourth day’s play. The all-rounder’s retirement from international cricket came on the back of a nightclub brawl and an off-field curfew breach in London.
In his final international match, Ben Stokes picked six wickets and scored 45 runs across both innings of the Trent Bridge Test against New Zealand, bringing the curtain down on his remarkable career that redefined England’s modern era across all three formats.
On that note, let’s take a look at the top six historic achievements of Ben Stokes in his illustrious international career.
One of the defining achievements of Ben Stokes’ illustrious international career came in 2019, when he helped England win their maiden ODI World Cup. England defeated New Zealand in a dramatic final at Lord’s to claim their first-ever 50-over World Cup title on home soil, becoming the third team after India and Australia to do so.
Stokes was a crucial player for England in the thrilling final, where he played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 84 off 98 balls to tie, forcing a historic Super Over. Eoin Morgan-led side won the title clash based on the boundary count rule, etching his name into cricketing folklore.
Ben Stokes was adjudged the Player of the Final award and finished the tournament as the third-highest run-getter for England, amassing 465 runs, including 5 fifties, at an average of 66.42 in 11 matches.
Another defining moment of Stokes’ international career would be his valiant knock in the 2019 Ashes Test at Headingley. The all-rounder was instrumental in pulling off one of the most astonishing fourth-innings run chases in Test history, keeping England’s Ashes hopes alive.
With England reeling at 286/9 and needing 73 runs to win the match, Stokes shared a crucial 76-run stand for the 10th wicket with Jack Leach, who scored just 1 run in that partnership, to guide England to a miraculous one-wicket victory.
Finishing on an unbeaten 135 off 219 balls, which included 11 fours and 8 sixes, Stokes’ heroic innings levelled the Ashes series 1-1 and produced arguably the greatest fourth-inning masterclass in the history of Test cricket. Eventually, Ben Stokes finished as the second-highest run-getter of the 2019 Ashes series, with 441 runs, including 2 centuries and as many fifties, at an average of 55.12 in 5 matches.
Ben Stokes grabbed the attention of the cricketing world with a scintialling yet record-breaking knock in the Test against South Africa in the second Test at Cape Town in 2016. Stokes played a blistering knock of 258 off 168 balls, including 30 fours and 11 sixes, at a strike rate of 130 in the first innings.
Stokes shattered several records with his 258-run knock, including the highest individual Test score by a number 6 batter, the fastest to 250 runs in the history of Test cricket (196), and a record-breaking 339-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Jonny Bairstow, who played a knock of 150 off 191 balls.
The 258 score remains Ben Stokes’ highest individual test score of his international career. His knock has been considered one of the most extraordinary innings in the history of the format at the international level.
England’s second T20 World Cup triumph in 2022, defeating Pakistan in the final, was personal and a redemption for Ben Stokes, as he played a stellar role in steering the team to victory. Back in 2016, Stokes was at the centre of severe backlash and criticism for conceding six consecutive sixes in the final over against Carlos Brathwaite, which cost England the trophy.
Demonstrating his mental fortitude, Stokes walked out to bat when England were reeling at 45/3 in the final against Pakistan at MCG, and played a valiant yet composed unbeaten knock of 52 runs off 49 balls, hitting the winning runs with an over to spare. His innings helped England defeat Pakistan to clinch the trophy.
With this, England became just the second team after the West Indies to win two T20 World Cup titles and the first to hold the ODI World Cup and T20 World Cup titles simultaneously, etching another golden chapter in white-ball cricket history.
Ben Stokes capped off his illustrious international career by finishing as the third-best all-rounder in the history of Test cricket. With 7273 runs and 252 wickets in 122 matches, the retired England captain cemented his legacy as one of the most complete and destructive seam-bowling all-rounders in the history of the game.
With a four-wicket haul in the first innings of his final Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, Stokes completed 250 Test wickets and became the second all-rounder after former South Africa captain Jacques Kallis to amass 7000 runs and take 250 wickets in the history of the format at the international level.
Ben Stokes leaves behind a legacy as one of the most inspirational cricketers of the modern era, having redefined the spirit and approach of English cricket across all formats.
Ben Stokes, assuming the role of England’s Test captain, alongside Brendon McCullum as head coach of the red-ball side, was the beginning of a bold new era for England Test cricket, built on fearless aggression, unwavering backing of players, and a complete reimagining of red-ball intent.
Taking over the reins of a team that had won just one of its previous 17 Test matches in 2022, Stokes, in partnership with McCullum, completely revitalised the side’s culture. The all-rounder adopted an aggressive, attacking approach, later dubbed ‘Bazball’ by the media, which captured the imagination of the cricketing world.
Under Stokes’ captaincy, England won 24 of their 44 Test matches, registering a win percentage of 54.54%, ushering in a thrilling period of resurgence and permanently altering the landscape of modern Test cricket.