Records broken by Ben Stokes in 2020 (Test cricket)
Ever since his debut, Ben Stokes has been an indispensable asset for England across the formats. He vehemently leads the tally of modern-day all-rounders with his prodigious attributes, especially in red-ball cricket. In the incumbent calendar year, the England all-rounder has already broken a plethora of records before pulling out of the final two Tests against Pakistan. Let's have a look at the same.
Earlier this year, Stokes attained a significant milestone, having slammed a century against South Africa in the third Test. He hammered a 214-ball 120 in the first innings, that laid the foundation of England's innings-victory. During the innings, Stokes became only the second cricketer after Sir Ian Botham to achieve the double of 4,000 runs and 100 wickets for England.
As international cricket resumed, Stokes registered his tenth hundred in the second Test against West Indies. He smashed a patient 176 (356) in the first innings, his second-best score (Test cricket). Notably, Stokes became only the fifth player to slam 10 centuries and pick up 150 wickets in the format, after Jacques Kallis, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Ian Botham, and Ravi Shastri.
In the same Test, Stokes recorded the fastest fifty by an England opener on the final day. He took only 36 balls to reach his fifty as England set West Indies a 312-run target in the second innings. Later on, he returned with an unbeaten 78 (57). Notably, this was the first occasion when Stokes opened the innings for England in Test cricket.
Following the second Test, Stokes dethroned West Indies skipper Jason Holder in the ICC Test Rankings to become the world's top-ranked all-rounder. Interestingly, he became the second player from England to do so since Andrew Flintoff (May 2006).
Stokes has been in sublime form in 2020 with both bat and ball. He is the leading run-scorer, having amassed 641 runs from seven Tests at a prolific average of 58.27. In the bowling segment, Stokes has snapped up 19 wickets at 18.73 with a best match haul of 88/6. His team-mate Stuart Broad leads the list with 32 scalps.
