Ben Stokes surpasses Ian Botham to smash quickest Test fifty for England in West Indies thrashing

England Test captain and all-rounder Ben Stokes smashed the fastest Test fifty for his country in 24 balls, surpassing veteran Ian Botham on the list, as the hosts beat West Indies by ten wickets in the third Test in Birmingham on Sunday (Jul28). Opening the innings in place for injured Zak Crawley, Stokes went past Botham’s 28-ball half-century record against India in Delhi in 1981, as England raced to their target (82) in 7.2 overs.

In a whirlwind knock of an unbeaten 57 off 28 balls, Stokes whacked nine fours and two sixes. At one stage, Stokes was on the verge of breaking Misbah-ul-Haq’s record of the fastest Test fifty (in 21 balls) as he was playing on 41 off 18 balls but took his time to get past the milestone while opening for the first time.

Although Stokes couldn’t stop praising Mark Wood for his stunning spell in the second innings, wherein he picked a five-for, the English captain talked a bit about his historic knock after the match, saying, "A couple hit the middle of the bat, I was seeing it quite well."

Admitting to be unaware of the record until someone informed him about the same in the dressing room, Stokes noted, "I didn’t, but when I brought it up, Ducky [Ben Duckett] said it could be the fastest, but Colly (Collingwood) is the man upstairs who likes keeping track of all the little records that players make as individuals, so he told me upstairs. It’s pretty cool."

Speaking highly of his captain’s leadership skills, England’s Test head coach Brendon McCullum said, "When Zak had to go and get an X-ray, Stokesy said he would open, and that is fantastic from your leader. The way he struck the ball was absolutely beautiful."

England to host Sri Lanka next

England began their 2024 home summer with a 3-0 win over the West Indies and will now host Sri Lanka for as many Tests starting August 21 in Manchester.

Stokes will play four games for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred before returning to lead his side in the whites.

• 1st Test – Old Trafford, Manchester (Aug 21-25)
• 2nd Test – Lord’s, London (Aug 29-Sep 2)
• 3rd Test – The Oval, London (Sep 6-10)

(With inputs from agencies)