Shivam Dube vs Ben Stokes - comparing their stats after 39 T20Is

All-rounders are a precious commodity in T20I cricket, and as a result, Shivam Dube and Ben Stokes are two of a similar kind that teams would love to have in their playing XI. However, both players are as far as they could possibly be as far as their career trajectories are concerned.

Ben Stokes had a topsy-turvy T20 career after he made his debut in 2011. His closing act seems to have been the 2022 T20 World Cup, since he has not played T20I cricket since then. He did not make himself available for the 2024 edition, while he remains absent from bilateral and franchise-based cricket as well, for the most part.

Shivam Dube made his debut at a time where India were desperately craving for all-rounder options, to add to depth to the department outside of Hardik Pandya. Largely being stuck in the second-string squad, the all-rounder finally breached the barrier after a string of successful Indian Premier League (IPL) campaigns.

Dube is having a prolific Asia Cup 2025 campaign, assisting the side as the third seam bowling option in the spin-friendly United Arab Emirates (UAE). He bagged career-best figures of 3-4 in the opening match for India, and also came in clutch during the recently held Super 4 contest against Pakistan by picking up some crucial wickets in the middle overs.

On that note, let us compare Ben Stokes and Shivam Dube's stats after 39 T20I appearances.

#1 Batting statistics

It is evident from the onset that Ben Stokes has significantly underwhelming numbers in T20I cricket, with respect to his actual potential. Being on and off in the T20I circuit, and the injuries and workload of the other formats has meant that the shortest format has had to be sacrificed, resulting in only a total of 43 appearances in 11 years.

He only has one fifty in T20I, which ironically he made in his last appearance, during the 2022 T20 World Cup Final against Pakistan. Apart from that, there are no such memorable batting displays from his side in the format, reflected through his mediocre average.

Shivam Dube, on the other hand, has played his part as an explosive middle-order batter in T20I cricket perfectly. With a healthy average and a strike rate, the left-handed batter's consistency and power-hitting ability, especially against spin, has made him a serious contender for the playing XI, even as a pure batter.

In all aspects, Dube exudes far more better numbers than Stokes ever did in T20I cricket. The highest batting average the England all-rounder ever attained over the course of ihis T20I career was 40, which was after the first couple of games. His average plummeted below the 20-mark soon enough, and it never recovered with time.

Player Name	Runs	Average	Strike Rate
Ben Stokes	483	18.58	132.33
Shivam Dube	546	30.33	138.58

#2 Bowling statistics

Ben Stokes presents a much better case as a bowler in T20I cricket, with solid numbers to back that argument. The Englishman was wicketless in each of his first three appearances, but started to be among the scalps as his career advanced.

Although he is infamously remembered for the final over against Carlos Brathwaite in the 2016 T20 World Cup Final, he had a solid tournament with the ball as a support bowler, even picking up figures of 3-26 in the semi-final, which remains his best outing with the ball in T20Is.

Shivam Dube presents slightly inferior numbers in the bowling department when compared to Stokes, but he is arguably in his most defining phase in that regard currently. The all-rounder has bowled his full quota of overs only on three occasions in his career, and at the 39-game mark, he has 36 overs less than Stokes.

In the limited opportunities he has had to bowl, Dube has made a decent enough impact to be considered as a vital option for India as their sixth bowling option in the long run. Given the improvement in his bowling, the seemingly ordinary numbers at present should improve in the near future.

Player Name	Wickets	Average	Economy
Ben Stokes	26	32.92	8.39
Shivam Dube	18	28.50	9.08

#3 Home vs Away Stats

Both Shivam Dube and Ben Stokes have played the majority of their T20I cricket away from home. Although the lack of sample size makes it rather inconclusive, both players have far better numbers at home, compared to away.

For instance, Dube has almost the same number of runs at home, and away from home, despite the appearances in the latter being exactly double. There is a massive difference in the strike rate as well, although the economy is eerily similar.

As far as Ben Stokes is concerned, his numbers drastically dip when away conditions are brought into play. There is a massive decrease in both batting and bowling stats, with an alarming fact being that his last T20I appearance at home came way back in 2018.

Shivam Dube