Ben Stokes turned Edgbaston into a batting paradise when he absolutely smashed the fastest Test fifty ever by an Englishman! The Three Lions’ captain was on fire, and it’s becoming a regular thing for England to rewrite the cricket history books. His fifty against West Indies in 24 balls was the joint-third-fastest overall in 147 years of history.
Ben Stokes with a breathtaking fifty!
Who would’ve thought that Stokes would open the batting? Well, that’s exactly what happened when Zak Crawley got injured while fielding. And boy, did Stokes make the most of it! Facing a small target of 82, he and Ben Duckett went berserk. Duckett was brilliant (SR 156.25), but Stokes was on another planet (SR 203.57). Nine fours and two massive sixes later, he’d raced to fifty off just 24 balls!
Fastest 50 in Test history
Balls taken | Player | Opp. |
---|---|---|
21 | Misbah-ul-Haq | vs AUS |
23 | David Warner | vs PAK |
24 | Jacques Kallis | vs ZIM |
24 | Ben Stokes | vs WI |
25 | Shane Shillingford | vs NZ |
Cleansweep by Stokes’ England!
England secured a thrilling (rather easy) win over the West Indies in the third Test, capping off a dominant 3-0 whitewash performance. Despite a strong start by the West Indies (282 runs in the first innings), England’s bowlers managed to break through. Joe Root (87) and Jamie Smith (95) added match-changing knocks. It was Mark Wood’s fifer in the third innings that bundled WI under 200. With a paltry target to chase (82), Ben Stokes and Ben Duckett unleashed a blistering partnership, setting the tone for a dominant chase.