 "Ben Stokes")
In his career of 99 Tests, Ben Stokes has played some brilliant innings. Though his captaincy is more in focus now, Stokes as a batter has always been a threat to the opposition, no matter the format. In Tests, the 32-year-old has played some iconic knocks, which include single-handedly taking his team to victory on many occasions.
The English skipper is ready to play his 100th Test when he features in the third match against India, starting Thursday, February 15, in Rajkot. We look back at his top five iconic Test innings.
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135* vs Australia at Headingley, 2019
Stokes' heroic run from the 2019 ODI World Cup continued when he smashed 135 against Australia in an Ashes match where the odds were against England 1/100 as they were chasing 359 to win and were 286/9. Jack Leach joined Ben Stokes at the crease, and something unique happened as Stokes, who had taken more than 60 balls to get into the double figures, smashed 74 off his last 45 balls and took England home in front of a boisterous balcony crowd at Headingley, Leeds.
258 vs South Africa at Cape Town, 2016
Before his Headingley knock, Stokes had already made a name for himself by hitting 258 off just 198 balls against South Africa at Cape Town in 2016. Batting at number five in the New Year's Test, Stokes amassed 399 with Jonny Bairstow for the sixth wicket, the highest partnership for the sixth wicket in Test history. Stokes had hit the second-fastest double century in Tests, which came in 163 balls. He reached 250 in just 196 balls, the fastest 250 recorded in Tests.
155 vs Australia at Lord's, 2023
After being appointed the captain of the England team, the biggest Test for Stokes before the India tour was at home against Australia in the Ashes 2023. After facing criticism for declaring early in the first Test and eventually losing it by two wickets, Stokes was under pressure. Then, he delivered a game of a knock, hitting 155 off 214 balls while chasing a target of 371 to win.
One shot too many resulted in his dismissal, but those shots only initially lifted the crowd's moods. He had put on 132 for the fifth wicket with Ben Duckett and then 101 for the eighth wicket with Stuart Broad before eventually perishing. England lost the match by 43 runs, but it was the same game after which they managed to turn the tide and draw the Ashes level 2-2. They could have won it without the Manchester match being washed out.
176 vs West Indies at Manchester 2020
Next on the list of top five innings by Stokes is his 176 against West Indies in 2020 at Old Trafford in Manchester. Just after the Covid-19 first wave, cricket resumed as West Indies toured England. Windies won the first Test as England was served a cold surprise at Southampton. Stokes, who led the side in Root's absence in the first Test, ensured everything was okay in the second one.
The New Zealand-born hit 176 in the first innings as England posted 469. In the second innings, Stokes opened the inning along with Jos Buttler, smashed 78 off just 53 balls to post 132/3 in just 19 overs, and set up a hefty target of 312 for the West Indies to chase.
101 vs New Zealand at Lord's, 2015
Another one of his great innings came early in 2015 when Stokes, batting against the country of his birth for the time ever in Tests, played two brilliant innings in the same game and bowled equally well to take his team to victory. In only his 10th Test and third at home, Stokes' 92 off just 94 balls in the first innings helped England post 389. He then recorded his second Test century by hitting 101 off 92 balls and helping England set a target of 345 for the visitors to win the match. These innings might not be big hundreds, but they were crucial in quickly setting up a defendable target. They also helped Stokes build a reputation as a player who reacts to situations and plays according to them.
The right-arm medium pacer took three wickets in the second innings as New Zealand were bowled out for 220, and Englan won the match. Stokes was named Player of the Match.
