Stokes reached the same statistical double in far fewer Tests, but Kallis still holds the bigger raw numbers. The real gap is the kind of bowler each man was, not the matches played. Stokes needed 122 Tests for 7,273 runs and 252 wickets, completing the set in his farewell match at Trent Bridge. Kallis took 166 Tests across eighteen years, building his runs and wickets on separate timelines while bowling as support rather than a strike option. The pace favors one man, the haul favors the other.
A Career Built Over Eighteen Years
Kallis made his Test debut in December 1995 and didn’t retire until December 2013, a span that let him do almost everything gradually. He reached 7,000 Test runs by his 151st innings, a milestone that arrived years before his bowling numbers caught up to it. His final tally read 13,289 runs and 292 wickets at 32.65 from those 166 Tests, built on longevity as much as talent. For most of that career he batted at three or four and bowled fourth or fifth change, well behind frontline seamers like Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock and later Dale Steyn.
His overs dropped away in his final seasons once his batting alone justified a place, yet the wickets kept arriving simply because the career ran longer than almost anyone else’s, a slow accumulation rather than a sudden surge.
Reaching the Same Double in Far Fewer Matches
Stokes made his own Test debut in December 2013, the same month Kallis walked away, and needed just 122 matches to reach the identical double. He completed it in his final Test at Trent Bridge, taking his 250th wicket with a four-wicket haul in the first innings before passing the 7,000-run mark later in the same match. Where Kallis built his runs and wickets on separate timelines stretched across eighteen years, Stokes closed both gaps almost simultaneously, in the same week, on the same ground, in the only Test he had left to play.
Player | Tests Played | Years Active | Runs | Wickets | Bowling Role |
Jacques Kallis | 166 | 1995-2013 (18 yrs) | 13,289 | 292 | Support seamer |
Ben Stokes | 122 | 2013-2026 (~12.5 yrs) | 7,273 | 252 | Primary strike bowler |
Ben Stokes vs Kallis Test all-rounder record
The clearest gap between the two isn’t the Test tally; it’s the job each man actually did with the ball. Kallis bowled as insurance, valuable but never the attack leader, which let South Africa field five frontline bowlers around him for most of his career. Stokes operated differently, especially from 2022 onward as England’s captain, when he was regularly the genuine strike option, opening the bowling or taking the toughest overs while also batting at five or six and running the side.
One man’s tally was built on volume behind a settled attack. The other’s was built while carrying a heavier, more varied workload on both sides of the ball, match after match, with no support bowler to hide behind.
The Signature Performances Behind the Numbers
Stokes’ numbers carry weight because of what sat behind them on the biggest days. The unbeaten 135 that won the 2019 Headingley Ashes Test came from one wicket down with the match seemingly gone. Later that same year, his innings in the World Cup final at Lord’s helped force a Super Over and a trophy for England.
His farewell match followed the same pattern: bowling figures of 4 for 70 and 2 for 49 at Trent Bridge, paired with bat contributions in both innings, the kind of two-way involvement that defined his career rather than closing it out quietly, right up to the final session he played.
This Double’s Place in Cricket History
Judged purely on cumulative numbers, Kallis is still well ahead, with more than 6,000 extra runs and 40 more wickets to his name. Judged on how quickly the double arrived relative to matches played, and on the bowling role behind it, the picture changes. Reaching the same statistical territory in 44 fewer Tests, while functioning as his team’s primary strike bowler rather than a support option, is the rarer achievement of the two.
That context is exactly why every Ben Stokes vs Kallis Test all-rounder record conversation has to weigh rate and role alongside the raw totals, not just settle for whoever finished with more.
Does reaching the double in 44 fewer Tests while carrying a heavier bowling load make Stokes’ version the more impressive of the two? Drop your verdict below.
FAQs
Who are the only two players with 7,000 runs and 250 wickets in Test cricket?
Jacques Kallis and Ben Stokes are the only two to reach that Test double. Stokes became the second during his final Test, against New Zealand in June 2026.
How many Tests did Jacques Kallis play in his career?
Kallis played 166 Tests across an eighteen-year career. He made his debut in December 1995 and retired in December 2013, finishing with 13,289 runs and 292 wickets.
What is Ben Stokes’ final Test batting and bowling average?
Stokes retired with a batting average of 34.46 and a bowling average of 31.03. Those numbers came from 7,273 runs and 252 wickets across 122 Tests.
When did Ben Stokes confirm his retirement from international cricket?
Stokes confirmed his retirement on June 28, 2026, with it taking effect at the end of the third Test against New Zealand. The match, at Trent Bridge, finished the following day.
Is Ben Stokes the greatest England all-rounder in Test history?
There’s no settled answer, but Stokes now sits at the top of that conversation alongside Ian Botham. His double arrived while he was captaining the side and bowling as a genuine strike option.