Ben Stokes becomes first England captain ever to achieve extraordinary feat that Freddie Flintoff never managed

Ben Stokes becomes first England captain ever to achieve extraordinary feat that Freddie Flintoff never managed

Ben Stokes became the first English captain to take five wickets and hit a century in the same Test match against India on Saturday.

It was Stokes' 14th Test century and first in two years, but it also marked his most special one by far as he made history at the crease.

3 Stokes starred with the bat at Old Trafford on Saturday Credit: Getty

His feat is something that even all-round legend Freddie Flintoff didn't manage during his England career.

On top of that incredible achievement, he's also now just the fourth English player ever to achieve the feat.

Only Tony Greig, Ian Botham, and Gus Atkinson have done so before.

Stokes is also just the fifth Test captain in cricket history to achieve the feat and he first to do so in 42 years.

The last captain to take five wickets and hit 100 runs was Imran Khan against India in 1983.

Stokes has also now moved to above 7,000 total runs in Test matches, joining his 224 overall wickets tally.

But the 34-year-old was left frustrated at stumps after a valiant rearguard action from KL Rahul and Shubman Gill.

England were all over their visitors at lunch.

After posting 669 (their fifth highest score in Tests) they had India 0/2 after an incredible opening over from Chris Woakes where he took two wickets from two balls.

Yashwal Jaiswal’s (0) series continued to nose dive after he edged to Root at slip and then Sai Sudharsen (0) failed to get his bat out the way first ball and steered to Harry Brook at second slip.

3 Stokes created England history against India at Old Trafford Credit: Getty

Neither Gill nor Rahul would have known what had hit them as they went to lunch 1/2 and with Rishabh Pant not at the ground in danger of being bowled out cheaply to hand England the Test and the series.

But instead of folding cheaply, both Indian players showed the kind of resolve that had got them so close at Lord’s.

First they saw off the new ball spells from Jofra Archer and Woakes and then with Ben Stokes not bowling eased into the session.

And the fact that Stokes didn’t bowl at all in the 63 overs sent down certainly made the task easier for two of India’s finest batters.

Brydon Carse should have had a breakthrough though when Gill on 46 sliced a drive to Liam Dawson at backward point only for the player to drop the catch.

It was a costly mistake.

Test captains with 100 runs and 5 wickets Ben Stokes - vs India (2025)

Imran Khan - vs India (1983)

Mushtaq Mohammad - vs West Indies (1977)

Garry Sobers - vs England (1966)

Denis Atkinson - vs Australia (1955)

India made it to tea 86/2 and then came out against an older ball and a tiring attack and played watchfully, but effectively.

At no point did they look bogged down, and only at the end of the day did Rahul start to look like the time in the field and at the crease was starting to get to him.

But get to stumps they did and with the threat of bad weather on day five and the feeling that Stokes might not bowl they’ll be cautiously optimistic that they can bat their way out of trouble.

Earlier, England added 125 runs to their overnight score for the loss of just three wickets including that of Stokes, but not before he reached 141.

Brydon Carse came within three runs of hitting his second Test half century only to find Mohammed Siraj on the boundary.

It meant England had three overs to bowl at India before lunch.

And while Woakes made it count, India fought back to leave the Test and the series still in the balance with India 174/2 still trailing by 137 runs at stumps.

3 Stokes is thriving since returning to his role as a frontline seamer Credit: Getty

England records falling

Stokes' history-making century came only a day after Joe Root also set a new record at the crease.

Root moved second on the all-time Test run scorers, surpassing Rahul Dravid's 13,288 and Kallis' 13,289 first.

Then, after his 38th Test century, he overtook Ricky Ponting's 13,378 to go second on the all-time list.

Root became the first player in Test history to score 1,000 runs at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Old Trafford first hosted a game of cricket in 1857, and no player has ever done that in its 168-year history.

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