Ben Stokes record as England Test captain: Stats, achievements and milestones

Ben Stokes (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket at the end of the third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. At the end of Day 5 on Monday, the curtains will fall not only on a brilliant career, but also as an inspirational captain of England’s Test side.

The 35-year-old took over the reins of the Three Lions and commenced his era as leader when English cricket was at its lowest. He has since gone on to make them one of the most talked-about sides in recent cricketing history, which ultimately caught up with him.

The beginning of the ‘Bazball’ era:

Stokes replaced Joe Root as Test captain in 2022 after England suffered a 4-0 defeat in the Ashes before losing away to the West Indies 1-0. What followed was a wave of cultural and ideological changes within the Test setup led by the talismanic all-rounder and new head coach Brendon McCullum.

The ‘Bazball’ era was well and truly underway. This included playing Test cricket aggressively, making bold tactical declarations and always chasing the win regardless of the target.

In their first assignment as captain and coach, England faced New Zealand in a three-match series at home, which they won 3-0, with Stokes’ side chasing down nearly 300 runs in each game.

They then followed it up by beating India at Edgbaston, chasing down 378 in the fourth innings and never really looking back from then on.

Key achievements over the years:

There have been several achievements under Stokes’ captaincy, which came as a direct consequence of England’s change in philosophy of playing Test cricket. They are as follows:

• During England’s tour to New Zealand in 2023, Stokes became the fastest England captain to reach 10 wins in Tests, taking him a mere 12 matches. His side secured a 267-run win over the Black Caps at Mount Maunganui, which was also the side’s first Test win on the Kiwi shores since 2008. 
• England achieved an historic 3-0 series whitewash away to Pakistan in Stokes’ first away series as captain. It was also the Three Lions’ first series win on Pakistani soil since 2000. During the first Test in Rawalpindi, their aggressive batting saw them score 506 runs on Day 1 alone, with four centurions, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook. 
• England came back from 2-0 down during the 2023 Ashes series to draw the series 2-2 at home. They took all 10 Australian wickets in the second innings of the fifth Test on the final day to achieve the feat at the Oval. 
• Stokes famously led England to a Test win in Hyderabad over India in 2024, despite the visitors trailing by 190 runs after the first innings. Pope (196) and Tom Hartey on debut (7-62) were the stars of the show. 
• Once again in New Zealand, Stokes took England to their Test series win in 16 years during their tour in 2024.

Ben Stokes’ record as Test captain:

Conclusion:

Stokes’ tenure as England’s Test captain will always be remembered with fondness, thanks to their unique style of playing. However, in a results-driven business, the Three Lions failed to live up to their lofty expectations. Despite all the positives, heavy away defeats to India and Australia did not help the all-rounder’s cause.

As things stand, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have not announced Stokes’ replacement as Test skipper. Current white-ball captain Brook is the incumbent vice-captain of the side at the moment. However, when Stokes was dropped after the nightclub controversy ahead of the second Test against New Zealand, Root was given the role on an interim basis.

In the end, after four rollercoaster years, Stokes’ era as captain comes to an end, having won several hearts across the cricketing fraternity, which, unfortunately for him, did not result in a boost in World Test Championship points.