The England captain is just the third player in history to reach 200 wickets and 6,000 runs in Test match cricket
Ben Stokes became the third player in history to take 200 wickets and 6,000 runs in men's Test match cricket.
The England captain, who has made a full return to bowling this summer, dismissed Kirk McKenzie (0) on his third ball of the second innings to reach the milestone of 200 wickets.
200 Test wickets for Ben Stokes 🔥
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 11, 2024
Kirk McKenzie falls without scoring 😬 pic.twitter.com/28aIV3pnh4
McKenzie was trapped leg before wicket and despite sending the decision for review, it was adjudged to be crashing into the stumps.
He joins Sir Garfield Sobers and Jacques Kallis as the only other men to achieve this feat.
Remarkably, out of the first 200 Test wickets he took, exactly half of them were overseas and half were in home matches.
Stokes followed up his wicket maiden with two more maidens as his England team stamped their authority on the match at Lord's. There was a reward in his fourth over as he took his 201st Test wicket when he had Mikyle Louis caught behind for 14.
After scoring four runs earlier this morning, the allrounder has 6,316 runs for England in the longest format. He was one of two England batters to be bowled by Gudakesh Motie in the morning session.
Related: WATCH: Gudakesh Motie bowls Ben Stokes and Joe Root with morning session beauties
Stokes watches on as McKenzie's review is unsuccessful (Micheal Steele/Getty Images)
He has some work to do to catch up with the other two members of his exclusive group as Sobers has 8,032 runs and 235 wickets while Kallis has a remarkable 13,289 runs and 292 wickets.
The New Zealand-born allrounder took his 100th wicket against India in August 2018 and his return to bowling from knee surgery has been welcome for the balance of the England Test side.
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