Happy Birthday Ben Stokes: Top 5 Test innings

Born on June 04, 1991, in Christchurch, New Zealand, Ben Stokes headed north to England when he was 12 after his father Gerard Stokes was appointed head coach of a rugby club there. This is where his journey started as he always aspired to be an England cricketer.

After superb performances for Durham in the domestic circuit, Ben Stokes made his debut for England in an ODI against Ireland in 2011. He then went on to make his T20I debut against West Indies a month later. After doing his time for nearly 2 years, the all-rounder finally made his Test debut in the 2013-14 Ashes.

Ben Stokes is, without a doubt, one of the best all-rounders in the current era, and in this article, we take a look at his top 5 Test innings.

1. 120 v England, 2013-14

Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes made his Test debut with England in dire straits during the 2013-14 Ashes. It was not a good start for the all-rounder, with him scoring just 29 runs in his first two innings. His batting in the first innings of his second Test was nothing to write home about either.

However, he quickly bounced back in the second innings and stepped up with England, reduced to 121 for 4. Ben Stokes dominated Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, and Nathan Lyon on his way to a maiden Test ton. He was dismissed for 120 after announcing himself on the international stage.

---

2. 258 v South Africa, 2016

The second-fastest double ton

Ben Stokes took centre stage and absolutely flattened the South African bowling attack in Cape Town during England's tour in 2016. The left-hander smashed 258 runs off 198 deliveries, taking England to an imposing 629/6 before they declared.

Hashim Amla's double hundred meant that the South Africans also put up a gigantic total and that the game ended in a draw. The Cape Town Test of 2016 will, however, always be remembered for the second-fastest double ton in Test history, one from Ben Stokes' blade.

---

3. 135* v Australia, 2019

Pulling off a heist

For many cricket fans, this innings at Headingley could well be the best Test innings in recent times. After his World Cup heroics, Ben Stokes took matters into his own hands during the Ashes as well.

England had a forgettable start to the Test as they were knocked over for just 67 in their first innings. They then needed to chase 359 in the final innings to win the Test and keep the Ashes alive. Joe Denly and skipper Joe Root struck half-centuries to give the home team some hope, but quick wickets took it all away.

This is when Stokes, who was plodding along, stepped up and took charge of the run chase. What followed was some of the cleanest hitting of the cricket ball. When England were down to the last wicket, Stokes took Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to the cleaners. He even reverse-paddled Nathan Lyon for a six.

England pulled off a heist, and it was all down to one man!

---

4. Fastest ton at Lord's

Ben Stokes

In the first innings of the first Test of New Zealand's 2015 tour of England, Ben Stokes missed out on a well-deserved ton when he was dismissed for 92. New Zealand put a lot of pressure on England, but Joe Root and Ben Stokes bailed them out.

The stage was set for him in the second dig. Alastair Cook and Joe Root had put England in a slightly more comfortable position this time around. Stokes walked in to bat with the score at 232/4, and this allowed him to attack.

Such was the onslaught that he notched up his century in 85 deliveries, the fastest at Lord’s. He overtook former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin’s record of 87 deliveries. It was also the fastest Test century by an Englishman in 113 years.

---

5. 85 vs Bangladesh, 2016

Stokes at his best

The first Test of England's tour of Bangladesh in 2016 saw Ben Stokes stamp his authority with a complete all-round performance. Although he first claimed 4-26 on a turning wicket, it was his 85 in difficult conditions in the second innings that went on to grab eyeballs. The innings meant that England set the hosts a pretty stiff target of 285.

Bangladesh were batting well in pursuit of this total when Stokes claimed two wickets in three balls and, thus, helped his side register a 22-run victory over the hosts.