England’s approach under Ben Stokes isn’t just loud; it’s lethal. On a tense Tuesday in Leeds, they pulled off a 371-run chase that had only ever existed on the edge of possibility.
That five batters from India crossed triple figures, in the same game, made the feat even more staggering. This was not just another Bazball win; it was a record-breaker.
With this triumph, England now sit atop the list of most successful 250-plus run chases in men’s Test history, leapfrogging MS Dhoni’s India. The numbers back it, but the style? That’s all Stokes and McCullum.
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Duckett’s counterattack, Crawley’s calm, and Root’s Yorkshire steel, it all came together. But the madness had only just begun.
Stokes’ England now have the most 250-plus chases in Test history
With their latest win at Headingley, Ben Stokes’ England registered their sixth successful run chase of over 250 in Test cricket, the most by any captain-led side in history.
Stokes’ England now sit above Dhoni’s India (4), Lara’s West Indies (3), and Ponting’s Australia (3). That puts this Bazball era in a statistical class of its own.
| Captain (Team) | No. of wins in 250+ chases in tests |
|---|---|
| Ben Stokes (England) | 6 |
| MS Dhoni (India) | 4 |
| Brian Lara (West Indies) | 3 |
| Ricky Ponting (Australia) | 3 |
Set 371 to win, England finished at 373-5, becoming the first team in over 60,000 first-class games to concede five individual hundreds and still win.
Ben Duckett’s 149 laid the platform, while Zak Crawley’s 65 and a composed 53* from Joe Root steadied the chase. Jamie Smith (44*) sealed the match with a six off Ravindra Jadeja, a fitting Bazball exclamation point.
Pant’s twin centuries (134 and 118) made him just the second keeper to achieve the feat in both innings, while Shubman Gill’s first match as captain ended in disappointment.
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“We had our moments on top,” Gill told the BBC, “but England are so good and we needed to kill the game when we had the chance.”
Stokes summed it up best, “It was an awesome Test to be part of… That partnership between Duckett and Crawley set us up brilliantly. Ducky got the big score but Zak stayed composed and in the moment and his 65 was important.”