Ben Stokes shatters an 89-year-old record as Australia get humbled at Perth

Ben Stokes achieved the best bowling figures by an England captain against Australia, taking 5 for 23 in Perth.

Ben Stokes has inscribed his name into Ashes folklore with the finest bowling figures ever recorded by an England captain against Australia. His devastating spell of 5 for 23 in Perth eclipsed Gubby Allen’s venerable record of 5 for 36, established at the Gabba in December 1936.

Ben Stokes raises the ball after taking five wickets during the first Ashes match.(AP)

The England captain’s incisive six-over burst dismantled Australia’s middle and lower order with surgical precision, claiming the scalps of Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, and Scott Boland, as the hosts were bundled out for 132, handing England a crucial 40-run first-innings lead.

Stokes completed his five-wicket haul in a mere 36 deliveries, making it the third-fastest five-for by an England seamer in Test cricket history. Only Stuart Broad has been swifter, achieving the feat in 19 balls against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2015 and 34 balls against New Zealand at Lord’s in 2013.

Best bowling figures by England captains in Ashes

The revised pantheon of five-wicket hauls by England captains in Ashes Tests now reads:

1. Ben Stokes - 5 for 23 (2025, Perth)
2. Gubby Allen - 5 for 36 (1936, Brisbane)
3. Johnny Douglas - 5 for 46 (1912, Melbourne)
4. Freddie Brown - 5 for 49 (1951, Melbourne)
5. Stanley Jackson - 5 for 52 (1905, Nottingham)

Bob Willis, who claimed 5 for 66 at Brisbane in 1982, resides just beyond this elite quintet. Willis had been the last England captain to secure a five-wicket haul in an Ashes Test before Stokes, rendering the 43-year hiatus one of the lengthiest droughts.

Allen’s historic benchmark

Gubby Allen’s previous benchmark endured nearly nine decades. His 5 for 36 materialised in extraordinary circumstances at the Gabba, where Australia capitulated to their lowest Test total at home in the 20th century - a mere 58 all out on a treacherous rain-affected surface. England triumphed in that encounter by 322 runs.

Allen captained England in the 1936-37 series, securing the opening two Tests before Australia, marshalled by Sir Don Bradman, mounted a formidable comeback to claim the series 3-2.

Ben Stokes’ accomplishment carries particular significance given he was competing in his first competitive fixture since sustaining a shoulder injury in July. He operated as England’s fifth bowling option after Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, and Mark Wood had already delivered crucial breakthroughs.

The performance also constituted Stoke’s sixth five-wicket haul in Test cricket and his third in Ashes contests. At 34 years of age, Stokes has furnished England with a pivotal advantage in their quest to secure a Test series Down Under for the first time since 2010-11.