England captain Ben Stokes etched his name into cricket history at Old Trafford, becoming the first English skipper to achieve a century and five-wicket haul in the same Test match.
The all-rounder reached this unprecedented milestone against India on Saturday, compiling 141 runs whilst having earlier claimed five wickets for 72 runs.
This remarkable double has eluded every previous England captain, including legendary figures who led the national side.
The achievement places Stokes amongst an exclusive group of just four English cricketers to accomplish this feat in Test cricket's long history.
Reuters
|Ben Stokes managed five wickets before hitting a century against India
The Durham-born cricketer joins Tony Greig, Ian Botham and Gus Atkinson as the only Englishmen to register this accomplishment.
Botham managed the feat on five occasions between 1977 and 1984, though never whilst captaining the side.
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Globally, Stokes becomes merely the sixth Test captain to achieve this distinction.
He follows West Indies' Sir Garfield Sobers, Pakistan's Mushtaq Mohammad, South Africa's Jacques Kallis, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan and India's Vinoo Mankad.
The last Test captain to accomplish this was Pakistan's Imran Khan against India in 1983, making Stokes the first in 42 years.
The 33-year-old constructed his innings methodically, reaching three figures from 164 deliveries with a delicate glance to fine leg.
Upon reaching the landmark, Stokes raised his eyes skyward and performed a touching tribute to his late father.
His bowling performance earlier in the match proved equally impressive, marking his first five-wicket return in eight years.
The captain's all-round display propelled England's first innings total towards 600, with the hosts eventually declaring on 669.
Stokes demonstrated exceptional timing with both contributions, arriving at the crease with England already commanding proceedings before extending their advantage through calculated strokeplay and intelligent batting.
The century marked Stokes' first in nearly three years and his 14th overall in Test cricket. His bowling figures represented his first five-wicket haul since 2017, ending an eight-year drought.
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Reuters
|Ben Stokes put in an incredible display against India
The achievement coincided with another personal milestone as Stokes surpassed 7,000 Test runs during his innings.
This accomplishment places him alongside Sir Garfield Sobers and Jacques Kallis as the only cricketers to score 7,000 runs and claim 200 wickets in Test history.
Stokes' historic performance occurred during a dominant England display that saw Joe Root also enter the record books the previous day, becoming Test cricket's second-highest run scorer.
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