Ben Stokes vs New Zealand [Source: AFP]Ben Stokes has been the talk of the town in England cricketing circuits for various reasons in the last couple of weeks. The recent nightclub controversy also saw him dropped from the squad for the second Test against New Zealand.Nonetheless, upon his return to the playing XI, Stokes has straightaway made a mark on the match. He created a special record that only three players have previously achieved, as he tries to lead the Englishmen to a comeback in the series decider.Ben Stokes achieves rare Test doubleDuring the first session of Day 2 at Nottingham, Ben Stokes was once again the focal point of the England bowling attack against a high-flying Kiwi.After being dominated by the visitors throughout the first day, where they piled up 361/4 in 84.1 overs, Ben Stokes staged a little comeback of sorts for England. He dismissed Daryl Mitchell in the 95th over, followed by Will O’Rourke in the 97th over.In the 101st over, he got rid of Mitchell Santner to reduce the Blackcaps to 413/7. With this wicket, he completed his 250 wickets in Tests for England, as the 8th Englishman to do so.But, the 250 wickets go with his 7228 runs in the format, making him the only fourth all-rounder to complete a double of 5000 Test runs and 250 wickets. Previously, only Ian Botham among the England players had achieved this feat.Apart from this, Ben Stokes has become only the 2nd player in world cricket to score 7000 Test Runs and take 250 wickets in Tests after Jacques Kallis.Also Read: Ben Stokes Gets In Another Fight, This Time On Field vs New ZealandAll-rounders with 5000 Test runs and 250 wickets1. Jacques Kallis- 13,289 runs and 292 wickets2. Kapil Dev- 5248 runs and 434 wickets3. Ian Botham- 5200 runs and 383 wickets4. Ben Stokes- 7228* runs and 250* wicketsPlayers with 7000 Test runs and 250 wickets1. Jacques Kallis- 13,289 runs and 292 wickets2. Ben Stokes- 7228* runs and 250* wicketsEngland looks to avoid embarrassing series loss vs NZIn the long Test history between New Zealand and England, dating back to 1931, England have dominated the Kiwis comprehensively. They have lost only two home series against New Zealand in Tests — the last dating back to July 1999.Having defeated them by 2-1 in New Zealand during their 2024 series, England would want to continue their record against the opposition with a win in the ongoing decider.Ben Stokes unaffected by the controversyStokes was sidelined from the series after the nightclub incident and missed out on the Oval Test, where England faced a crushing defeat by 253 runs. Despite being out of the team, Ben Stokes rocked up for Durham in the County Championship and scored 95 off 118 alongside 1/80 as the first change bowler.With Ben Stokes’ return to the XI as captain, the team’s concerns with the ball continued, but he once again stepped up, as he has since the India series in 2025 and picked a four-wicket haul in a precarious situation. Now, how he ends the New Zealand innings and bats would be crucial for England to win the series.Also Read: Youngest Players To Make T20I Debut: Where Does Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Stand?
