Ben Stokes' Illustrious Cricket Career in Numbers

122 Tests, 7273 runs, 252 wickets. Ben Stokes has had a very impressive performance in his 13-year career. Only 5 English cricketers have played more Tests than him, 10 have scored more runs, and 8 have taken more wickets. 

Adding 44 Tests as captain (seventh most for England), his career becomes even more weighty. And there are ODI stats too - 3463 runs, 74 wickets, and a 'Player of the Match' performance in the World Cup final. Stokes' fame and his big personality may have sometimes overshadowed the stats, but the numbers themselves indicate an incredible career.

In an era where the number of all-rounders is decreasing, Stokes has showcased excellent skills with both bat and ball. Besides him, only three others have achieved the double of 5000 runs and 250 wickets in Tests. They are - Jacques Kallis, Ian Botham, and Kapil Dev. It is a matter of great pride to be in this group.

• Shines in all-round performance after a slow start

In the first 20 Tests, Stokes' stats were quite ordinary - batting average below 30 and bowling average above 40. Then his performance transformed. In the last five years, the averages have reversed: batting average crossed 40 and bowling average dropped below 28. Of his 14 Test centuries, 8 came in this period of 47 Tests, and 7 of his 16 four-wicket hauls also came in this period.

Since 2021, his stats, especially in batting, have declined. In 55 Tests, he has scored only 4 centuries. The batting average has dropped to 30.26, which is almost similar to his bowling average. 

During this period, he has struggled particularly away from home (away matches). His batting average, which was 41.79 in the previous period, dropped to 25.16 away from home. 

Similarly, the bowling average increased to 36.34. However, he has been very strong at home, where his batting average was 39.26 and bowling average was 25.58. But with the stats dropping significantly in away matches, his all-round figures could not remain in the excellent category.

• Stokes' Best Period

The progression of his career clearly shows Stokes' best phase. In the 47 Tests from 2016 to 2020, the difference between his batting and bowling averages was 14.75. Considering this as 50 Tests, Stokes' high performance can be compared with the best 50-Test performances of other all-rounders.

Among the players who scored at least 1500 runs and took more than 100 wickets in those 50 Tests, 8 all-rounders have a greater difference between their batting and bowling averages than Stokes. Stokes' difference was 13.53.

Among them, Gary Sobers and Jacques Kallis are the best. The fact that both were more proficient with the bat than the ball is reflected in their batting averages of over 70 during their best 50 Tests. Their bowling averages were above 32, yet the difference in averages was enough to reach around 40.

When it comes to true all-round ability, Imran Khan's performance is even more remarkable. From March 1982 to December 1991, for about 10 years, he maintained a batting average of over 50 and a bowling average of less than 20. Although 18 not-out innings increased his batting average, taking 5 centuries and 5 wickets 15 times during this period is extremely impressive. These three are all-rounders whose average difference was over 30, while the next best difference was less than 20.

For those interested in the debate between Botham and Stokes, Botham is ahead in this regard. In his best 50 Tests from August 1977 to July 1982, Botham's batting average was slightly lower than Stokes'. But he made up for it with his bowling. He took 226 wickets at an average of less than 23, which is exactly double the wickets Stokes took in his best 50 Tests.

The difference in wicket count also shows the main difference between these two. At his peak, Botham was England's main bowler. Out of 85 innings during this period, he opened the bowling 41 times and was the first-change bowler an additional 31 times. 

On the other hand, Stokes came on as the third or fourth change bowler in 40 out of 79 innings in these 50 Tests. Looking at the percentage contribution to the team's runs and wickets by these 10 all-rounders in their best 50 Tests, Botham took over 30% of England's wickets (excluding run-outs) during this period. 

In Stokes' case, this figure was less than 14%. In fact, among these 10 all-rounders, Botham's wicket contribution was the highest after Richard Hadlee. While Stokes' contribution with the bat was ahead of Botham's, the difference was very small.

One aspect where Stokes surpassed Botham is the longest streak of matches with a batting average over 40 and a bowling average under 30. From the Boxing Day Test in 2015 to March 4, 2021, Stokes played 52 Tests, with a batting average of 40.21 and a bowling average of 27.92. 

Botham's best was 48 Tests, and Andrew Flintoff's was 42. Only three players have had a longer streak than Stokes' 52 Tests. Ravindra Jadeja tops this list with an incredible streak of 82 Tests from February 2014 to November 2025. During this period, his batting average was 40.1 and bowling average was 25.55. Only Imran Khan (81 matches) and Kallis (76 matches) have longer streaks than Stokes.

• Long Spells, and the Ability to Break Partnerships

252 wickets in 122 Tests or 113 wickets in his best 50-Test series do not fully capture the importance of bowler Stokes. With James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and many other bowlers supporting him, Stokes' bowling skills were often not needed in favorable conditions for fast bowlers. However, when conditions were tough and opposition batsmen were building partnerships, Stokes' ability to bowl long spells and break partnerships was invaluable.

The most significant statistic in this regard is the number of wickets he has taken by breaking partnerships. Of the 252 wickets he has taken, 70 wickets came from breaking partnerships of 50 or more runs. This 27.78% is the highest among all fast bowlers who have taken 100 or more wickets in their career.

Among all bowlers who have taken 200 or more wickets, only Pakistan's Danish Kaneria has a higher percentage of wickets taken by breaking partnerships. Kaneria had 74 (28.35%) such wickets out of 261.

Stokes' consistency, energy, and never-give-up attitude were outstanding when opposition batsmen were settling in. He would run in with a new plan for every ball to get a breakthrough. Out of the 518 different spells he bowled in his career, 60 were at least eight overs long. This 11.58% is the second highest among all fast bowlers who have bowled at least 100 spells since their Test debut.

Only one bowler has a higher percentage: New Zealand's Neil Wagner. Wagner bowled 71 such spells out of 364. In fact, New Zealand bowlers dominate this list, with Trent Boult, Matt Henry, and Colin de Grandhomme also featuring in the top five.

Here's another proof that Stokes often took wickets when others struggled: in the 16 innings where he took four or more wickets, his strike rate was 25 balls per wicket. In contrast, the strike rate of other bowlers in those innings was only 90.45. This ratio of 3.62 is the second best among 122 bowlers who have taken at least 15 four-wicket hauls. Only Fidel Edwards (3.93) had a higher ratio.

• Against the Two Big Teams

54 (44.3%) of the 122 Tests Stokes played were against Australia and India, the other two teams in the 'Big Three'. Undoubtedly, he has created memorable moments against these teams. The performances at Headingley in 2019 and Lord's in 2025 are prime examples. His performances in Perth in 2013 and 2025, and Old Trafford in 2025 were also excellent. However, his overall stats against the two best teams of his era are a bit weak, especially when playing away from home.

In the 26 Tests played at home against these teams, both Stokes' batting and bowling were strong. His batting average there was over 35 and his bowling average was 30. But away from home, his batting stats dropped significantly. In the 14 Tests played in Australia, his batting average was less than 25, while his bowling average increased to 35. 

Only 4 of his 12 'Player of the Match' awards came against these teams, and all of them were at home. This further clarifies that his performance against these two teams away from home was below average.

• Captain Stokes

In his 44 Tests as captain, Stokes scored 2301 runs and took 84 wickets. This places him in an elite group of three players who have scored over 2000 runs and taken over 75 wickets while leading the team. Besides Stokes, only Imran Khan and Gary Sobers have achieved this feat.

In terms of team results, the outcome was mixed. Only two English captains have won more than Stokes' 23 wins - Joe Root (27) and Michael Vaughan (26). England also lost 18 out of 44 Tests under Stokes' captaincy. This means Stokes' win-loss ratio as captain was average (1.33). 

In fact, among the 15 captains who have led England in 25 or more Tests, Stokes' win-loss ratio is exactly in the middle, at eighth place. Against Australia and India, Stokes' England managed only 7 wins and 11 losses (3-6 against Australia, 4-5 against India, and 2-8 against them away from home). Against all other teams, he won more Tests than he lost.

This average record is also reflected in England's statistics during the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. In his 40 Test captaincy under the WTC, Stokes' win-loss record was 21-17. His best period was the 2021-23 cycle. Coming into the team midway through the championship, he achieved a spectacular 9-1 record, including a 3-0 whitewash in Pakistan.

However, due to the poor 1-7 record inherited from the previous captain, he could not lead England to the final. In the last two cycles, England has lost more Tests than they have won under Stokes' leadership (8-9 in the 2023-25 cycle and 4-6 in the current cycle).

The most remarkable record under Stokes' captaincy is not the wins, but the lack of draws. Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum did not favor draws. The fact that only two out of 44 Tests under Stokes' leadership ended in a draw proves this. This 4.5% among 66 captains who have captained at least 25 Tests is the lowest. This is certainly also an effect of the current era, but it is a fitting statistic to remember Stokes' captaincy.

ESPN Cricinfo