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Ben Stokes Joins Elite List Of England Captains With Five-Wicket Haul In Tests

Jatin

Ben Stokes bagged a fifer [Source: @Saabir_Saabu01/x.com]Ben Stokes bagged a fifer [Source: @Saabir_Saabu01/x.com]

When the chips are down, trust Ben Stokes to pull something out of the fire and at Old Trafford on Day 2, the England skipper did just that. While India looked all set for a massive first-innings total, Stokes turned up the heat and rattled the visitors with a stunning five-wicket haul, his first as captain and first in nearly eight years.

Ben Stokes Joins Rare Club Of England Captains With Fifer At Old Trafford

This performance made Ben Stokes just the 11th England captain to take a five-wicket haul in Test cricket. Here os a look at all England captains who’ve taken a five-wicket haul in Tests:

Player
Wickets
Runs
Opposition
Ground
Start Date
Gubby Allen780IndiaThe Oval15 Aug 1936
Arthur Gilligan67South AfricaBirmingham14 Jun 1924
Bob Willis6101IndiaLord's10 Jun 1982
Joe Root58IndiaAhmedabad24 Feb 2021
Aubrey Smith519South AfricaGqeberha12 Mar 1889
Gubby Allen535IndiaLord's27 Jun 1936
Bob Willis535New ZealandLeeds28 Jul 1983
Gubby Allen536Australia
Brisbane4 Dec 1936
Gubby Allen543IndiaLord's27 Jun 1936
Johnny Douglas546AustraliaMelbourne9 Feb 1912
Freddie Brown549AustraliaMelbourne23 Feb 1951
Stanley Jackson552AustraliaNottingham29 May 1905
Bob Willis566AustraliaBrisbane26 Nov 1982
Ray Illingworth570IndiaThe Oval19 Aug 1971
Ben Stokes572IndiaManchester23 Jul 2025
Arthur Gilligan583South AfricaBirmingham14 Jun 1924


Not long ago, there were whispers about whether Stokes should bowl at all, let alone take on big spells. But on a grey Manchester morning, he decided to do it the old-fashioned way with hard lengths, clever angles and incredible spirit.

He wasn’t bowling thunderbolts but what he did was squeeze the life out of India’s batting order, one wicket at a time. His final figures? 5 for 72 in 24 overs and every single one of those scalps mattered.

The Fifer That Changed The Tone

Stokes first got Shubman Gill, trapped LBW with a sharp one that nipped back. Then he sent back Sai Sudharsan, who was anchoring India beautifully on 61. But the real damage came on Day 2 when he removed Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar and Anshul Kamboj in a blistering spell that turned the innings on its head.

India Gets Bowled Out For 358

Despite Stokes’ brilliance, India posted a fighting 358. The top order laid the platform with Yashasvi Jaiswal (58), KL Rahul (46) and Sai Sudharsan (61) grinding it out early on.

Then came Rishabh Pant’s counterpunch, who battled his way through injury to smash 54 off 75 balls before being dismissed. Shardul Thakur’s 41 and Sundar’s 27 made sure India posted a competitive score.