Ben Stokes has come in for some criticism this summer, despite, so far at least, England looking on target to beat India. There have been question marks over his captaincy both in the field, and in terms of his almost quasi-religious belief in always batting second. Amazingly, there have also been doubts about his ability with both bat and ball, and the value he adds to the team as a player. Finally, some have questioned his seeming inability to protect himself as a bowler and not take on more work than his somewhat fragile 34-year-old body can take.
The latter issue unquestionably persists, but he produced a very firm riposte to those who doubted his enduring class as a cricketer. In the fourth Test at Old Trafford, he took five wickets in the first innings and then added 141 with the bat as England replied. He bowled excellently, his five wickets costing just 72 runs as he got through 24 overs. His work with the willow in hand was just as good, as he scored quickly to help England to a massive 669 all out.
Stokes Stats Superb
🗓️ On This Day in 2024…
Ben Stokes was at his destructive best, hitting England’s fastest Test fifty in just 24 balls 🤯 pic.twitter.com/tgnbeGvJyH
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 28, 2025
The England skipper’s return of 5/72 in the first innings was the first time he had taken a fifer in Test cricket for eight years. It was the fifth time he had achieved the feat, which might not sound all that impressive and compared to the best bowlers, it isn’t. Sri Lankan Muthiah Muralidaran leads the way with a staggering 67 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket. That is, incredibly, 30 more than anyone else, whilst Jimmy Anderson’s 32 is the best by an English bowler.
However, for an all-rounder who often serves as the fifth bowler, taking five wickets in an innings is far from common. And when we put it alongside the 14 centuries that Stokes has now made, after his latest knock against India, it amounts to an impressive body of work.
The Durham man now boasts over 7,000 Test runs and 230 wickets, and there are various ways of analysing his stats that mark him out as an elite all-rounder. He is one of just five players to have reached 200 wickets and 5,000 runs in Tests. He has played over 100 Tests, with longevity sometimes a struggle for all-rounders due to the extra stress on their bodies. His 115 matches have yielded 113 catches, and even now, in his mid-30s, he remains a world-class fielder.
Elite Group of Four All-Round Greats
However, whilst there are various statistical markers we can use to illustrate how good Stokes has been for England, creating different groups of players alongside whom he can be compared, that fifth five-wicket haul put him among the very, very finest. He became the fourth member of an elite group of all-rounders to have taken five or more fifers and also struck 10 or more centuries.
Let’s give a fuller summary of Stokes’ stats thus far (including the fourth match of the 2025 series against India), before looking at the other three legends he now stands alongside.
Ben Stokes Key Stats
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- Tests – 115
- Five-wicket hauls – 5
- Centuries – 14
- 50s – 35
- Total runs – 7,032
- Batting average – 35.69
- Total wickets – 230
- Bowling average – 31.64
- Difference between averages +4.05
Comparing a player’s batting average with their bowling average is another key metric used to determine a world-class all-rounder. Assuming they have played a sufficient number of games, where a player has a superior batting average to their bowling figure, it can generally be taken that they are a truly elite all-rounder. Now, on to Stokes’ three fellow members of the “Five fifers, 10 tons” Club…
Ian Botham Key Stats
- Tests – 102
- Five-wicket hauls – 27
- Centuries – 14
- 50s – 22
- Total runs – 5,200
- Batting average – 33.54
- Total wickets – 383
- Bowling average – 28.40
- Difference between averages – +5.14
Botham is the all-rounder against whom all other all-rounders are measured in English cricket. A devastating bowler earlier in his career, he is streets ahead of Stokes in terms of five-wicket innings. However, Stokes has the edge in terms of batting average and has scored many more half-centuries and around 2,000 runs in total. And he is still going!
Garry Sobers Key Stats
- Tests – 93
- Five-wicket hauls – 6
- Centuries – 26
- 50s – 30
- Total runs – 8,032
- Batting average – 57.78
- Total wickets – 235
- Bowling average – 34.03
- Difference between averages – +23.75
Statistically, Sobers the bowler is pretty similar to Stokes. However, the iconic Barbadian has vastly superior batting stats. Indeed, his numbers as a batter put him up there with the very best. At the same time, as a bowler, he was capable of bowling medium fast, leg spin and orthodox spin.
Jacques Kallis Key Stats
- Tests – 166
- Five-wicket hauls – 5
- Centuries – 45
- 50s – 58
- Total runs – 13,289
- Batting average – 55.37
- Total wickets – 292
- Bowling average – 32.65
- Difference between averages +22.72
South African legend Kallis stands out for having played so many more games than the other three players on this list. Again, the bowling stats are broadly similar to those of Stokes, but his batting numbers are world-class. In terms of total Test runs, he is behind only Ricky Ponting, Joe Root and Sachin Tendulkar. When it comes to Test centuries, it is only the Little Master, Sachin, who can better his haul, the Indian boasting 51. Moreover, Kallis has taken a massive 200 catches in Tests, with only four players in history having held onto more (excluding wicketkeepers).
Stokes does not have the stats to compare to Sobers and Kallis, two players who most would agree are the finest all-rounders cricket has ever seen. However, he is right up there with the best of the rest, both statistically and in terms of his ability to have an impact and stand up when it matters most. England are truly lucky to have him, and we can only hope that he can avoid injuries and stay fit long enough to improve these stats yet further. If only he had a captain who would know when he needs a rest!