Incredible! Ben Stokes retires with a record that no cricketer has ever achieved

Ben Stokes (Getty Images) Ben Stokes’ international career will be remembered for countless match-winners, World Cup glory and unforgettable Ashes heroics. Yet, among his many achievements, the England all-rounder leaves with a remarkably unique Test record that underlines the versatility he brought to the game.

Ben Stokes Unique Stats

Stokes, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, remains the only player in Test history to have batted in all 11 batting positions and to have batted at all 11 positions in the batting order. He is also widely recognized as the only cricketer to have taken wickets from all 11 batting positions in Test cricket, although TimesofIndia.com could not independently verify this statistic.It is a statistical rarity that reflects the extraordinary range of roles he has held during a 15-year international career. Whether opening the batting, saving the middle order or finishing the innings lower down the order, Stokes answered England’s call whenever needed. He also took wickets with the ball in all positions of the bat, underscoring his value as a true all-rounder.The 35-year-old brought the curtain down on his international career after the recently concluded third Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. His journey to England began in 2011 and included over 250 appearances across formats.His retirement closes a chapter on one of England’s greatest modern cricketers. Stokes played a defining role in two of the country’s most iconic victories in 2019, first with an unbeaten 84 in the dramatic ODI World Cup final against New Zealand and later with an extraordinary 135 not out against Australia at Headingley to keep England’s Ashes hopes alive.He also posted a career-best Test score of 258 against South Africa in Cape Town in 2016 and retires as one of only two players in Test history to complete the remarkable double of over 7,000 runs and 250 wickets. The only other cricketer to achieve this feat is Jacques Kallis.Stokes also redefined aggressive batting in the longest format, finishing with 138 sixes, the most by any batsman in Test cricket. He is one of only three batsmen to hit more than 100 sixes in the format.His retirement came shortly after the off-field controversy following England’s first Test win over New Zealand. Stokes and Gus Atkinson were initially ruled out of the second Test after breaching the team’s midnight curfew while an investigation into the London nightclub incident was underway.The cricket regulator later found insufficient evidence to prove any breach of the ECB’s cricket regulations and cleared both players of any regulatory offence. The ECB confirmed that Stokes was not involved in the altercation and did not witness any incident, while Atkinson was the victim of unprovoked attacks. However, both players were given written warnings for breaching contract standards of conduct, with their omission from the second test deemed adequate punishment.While the stats capture only part of Stokes’ legacy, his unique place in the Test book serves as another reminder of how adaptable and influential he has been. Few players have affected matches in so many different ways and none have combined batting versatility with wicket-taking in all batting positions quite like Ben Stokes.