2024-02-15 14:45:46
A 100th match in any format of cricket is a great achievement for a cricketer. England captain Ben Stokes is going to write his name in that list for the country. The English star will make a ‘century’ of Test matches when he takes the field in the next match of the ongoing Test series against India.
England will face India tomorrow (February 15) in Rajkot in the third Test of the five-match series. This all-rounder is going to play 100th match in white as the 16th cricketer of the country and 76th of the world. And only 2 of his teammates in the current team (Joe Root and James Anderson) have played 100 or more Tests.
Stokes made his Test debut in 2013 at Adelaide. So far Stokes has scored 6251 runs in 99 Tests, taking 197 wickets. Stokes is the third cricketer after Gary Sobers and Jacques Kallis to have 6000 runs and 200 wickets. Stokes, however, is on top of everyone in terms of hitting sixes in Tests. His number of sixes is 128.
For Stokes, who is going to play his 100th Test, this milestone is the same as the remaining 10 matches. Speaking to the BBC, Stokes said, ‘Every Test is equally important. Then another Test will come, which will be the 101st Test. What does 99, 100 or 101 matter there. It’s just a number. When it comes to milestones, there’s no end before the end.’
While Stokes was unenthusiastic, his assistant Ollie Pope saw the achievement as an incredible feat, saying, ‘Unbelievable. This is an incredible achievement for any cricketer. Although he has had his ups and downs as a cricketer, what he has done since becoming captain has been great.’