Ben Stokes created history… became the first all-rounder of England to touch the magical figure of 250 wickets and 7,000 runs.

New Delhi. Whenever a player gets his name registered in golden letters in the books of records on the cricket field, his story becomes even more interesting. England’s charismatic all-rounder Ben Stokes has performed a similar feat, which has placed him in the ranks of the all-time great players of world cricket. On the second day of the third Test match being played against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, Stokes completed his 250 wickets in Test cricket. To reach this historic milestone, Stokes made Kiwi batsman Mitchell Santner his victim. When Santner was out on the last ball of the 101st over of the match on the bowling of Stokes after scoring just 4 runs, the ground of Trent Bridge became a historical witness. With this, Ben Stokes has become the ninth bowler from England to take 250 or more wickets in Test cricket.

This achievement of Ben Stokes is not limited to the number of wickets only. With this wicket, he has completed a rare ‘double’ in Test cricket, which no all-rounder has been able to do till date in the history of England’s cricket. Stokes has now become the first cricketer for England and only the second cricketer in the world to score more than 7,000 runs and take more than 250 wickets in Test cricket. In the history of world cricket, before Stokes, only the great South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis could touch this magical figure. Stokes is now carrying forward the same legacy that Jacques Kallis had achieved in his illustrious career between 1995 and 2013. By joining this unique club, Stokes has proved why he is considered the greatest match-winner of the modern era.

Off-field controversy and punishment
There is a bitter truth hidden behind this historic success, which has shaken Stokes and England cricket in the last few days. Actually, Stokes was not a part of the second test before this match. After a spectacular win in the first match of the series, captain Ben Stokes and his fellow fast bowler Gus Atkinson violated the team’s curfew rules. The matter became more serious when the two players got into a heated argument with a rugby player during a night out. This argument quickly turned into a scuffle. A security officer who came to intervene also suffered injuries in this incident. Both the players had to bear the brunt of this indiscipline and they were shown the way out of the team for the second test match.

The absence of Stokes and Atkinson cost England dearly. In the second test match, New Zealand defeated England by a huge margin of 253 runs. This defeat raised many questions on the responsibility of the captain inside and outside the team. However, later after an official investigation, both players were let off with strict warnings, after which Stokes returned to the captaincy in the third Test.

‘I am embarrassed’ – the captain’s apology that won hearts
When Stokes stepped onto the field in the third Test, three young players were making their Test debut in England’s playing eleven. For any young player, his first match is the biggest day of his life, but due to the Stokes controversy, the entire attention of the media and fans shifted from the match to this controversy. Admitting his mistake during the match, Ben Stokes gave a very emotional and mature statement. He admitted his mistake without any excuse and apologized to his colleagues.