With his 200th Test wicket in the ENG vs WI series opener, Ben Stokes joins Sir Gary Sobers and Jacques Kallis on elite Test
England captain Ben Stokes has joined an elite club after bagging his 200thTest wicket by dismissing Kirk Mckenzie on Day 2 of the ongoing first against West Indies at Lord’s in London on Thursday, July 11. With 200 Test wickets and 6,000 runs in the format, Stokes has joined South African legend Jacques Kallis and West Indies great Gary Sobers for the record.
Apart from 200 Test wickets, Stokes has scored 6,320 runs in 103 Tests. Kallis is on top of the list with 13,289 runs and 292 wickets, while Sobers scored 8,032 runs and 235 scalps.
Ben Stokes’ 200th Test wicket was also his 300th international scalp. The 33-year-old all-rounder would be keen to go past Sobers’ tally.
Stokes, however, failed to deliver with the bat in the first innings of the opening Test. He was clean-bowled by Gudakesh Motie for a single-digit score.
Ben Stokes and company eye big win against West Indies to give a fitting farewell to retiring James Anderson
Ben Stokes-led England are heading towards a big win against West Indies in the first Test to give a fitting farewell to James Anderson, who is playing his 188th and last Test. The legendary pacer will finish as the highest wicket-taker among pacers (700-plus scalps) in the red-ball format.
At the time of writing, the Windies were 42-4 after 21.4 overs, with Alick Athanaze and Jason Holder at the crease. The visitors are trailing by 208 runs in their second innings.
Batting first, West Indies were bundled out for 121 in 41.4 overs. Mikyle Louis, Alick Athanaze, and Kavem Hodge chipped in with their 20s but failed to convert them into big scores. Gus Atkinson bagged seven wickets on his debut for England, while James Anderson, Chris Woakes, and captain Ben Stokes took one wicket each.
In response, England put up 371 in 90 overs to take a 250-run first-innings lead. Zak Crawley and Jamie Smith scored in the 70s, while Joe Root, Ollie Pope, and Harry Brook recorded half-centuries. Jayden Seales was the pick of West Indies bowlers, returning with figures of 4/77, while Jason Holder and Gudakesh Motie bagged two wickets apiece.
Follow the ENG vs WI 1st Test live score and updates here.