Ranking Ben Stokes’ 5 best international innings

#3 258 v South Africa, Cape Town, January 2016

This remains the only double hundred of Stokes' international career

While the majority of Stokes’ best innings have been a combination of his ability to get through tough spells of bowling and strike the ball to the boundary late on his innings, this innings in the second in Cape Town was just about power. Coming to the crease with the score at 167-4, Stokes totally changed the game. After seeing off the opening spell from Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel, he was joined at the crease by Jonny Bairstow, and together they launched an astonishing attack on the South African bowling attack.

When his innings finally came to an end after more than five and a half hours at the crease, he had scored 258 runs in just 198 balls, and put on a partnership with Bairstow of 399 from just over 58 overs. He hit the ball to all parts of the ground, hitting 30 fours and 11 sixes, the most by any England player in a Test innings, and the joint-second most of all teams, behind only Wasim Akram’s 12.