The value of an all-round performance can’t be overstated in cricket. It can make a huge difference in the context of a match.
And if it comes from a captain, then it boosts a team’s morale. In 150 years of Test cricket, we’ve seen a few skippers pull off some incredible all-round performances.
Here we’ll see the captains who scored a century and took a five-wicket haul in the same Test.
1. Denis Atkinson (West Indies) vs Australia | 1955
Denis Atkinson was the first captain to achieve this double in Tests. He is, in fact, the only skipper to smash a double hundred and grab a five-for in the same Test.
Atkinson was more than a handy batter down the order. And his best came against Australia when the West Indies needed it the most.
The West Indies were 143 for 5 after Australia raced away to 668. Then Atkinson brought his captain’s knock.
He smashed his maiden ton, which he converted into a double. His 219 helped the Windies muster 510.
Atkinson then picked up 5 for 56 to restrict Australia to 249 in their second essay. His double effort helped the Windies draw the Bridgetown Test.
2. Garry Sobers (West Indies) vs England | 1966
Eleven years later, Garry Sobers put up his finest all-round performance. This one came as the West Indies’ skipper.
The Windies were 2-0 up in the series against England in 1966. The Caribbean side stormed into the fourth Test with 500 runs in the first innings.
And Sobers was the destructor-in-chief with the bat. He aggregated 174 to pull up the Windies from a precarious situation of 154 for 4.
He then returned with 5 for 41 to wrap England for 240. Sobers added three more victims in the next innings to give the Windies a 3-0 lead.
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3. Mushtaq Mohammad (Pakistan) vs West Indies | 1977
Mushtaq Mohammad was the third skipper to score a ton and bag a five-for in a Test. His performance came against a peak West Indies side in 1977.
After being put in to bat, Pakistan found themselves in trouble at 51 for 3. Out came Mohammad, who held on to one end. His gutsy 121 took Pakistan to 341 in the first innings.
Then the Pakistan skipper had an impressive spell with the ball. He took five scalps for 28 runs to bundle the Windies for 154.
Mohammad then chipped in with 56 and 3 for 69 to script a 266-run victory for Pakistan.
4. Imran Khan (Pakistan) vs India | 1983
Imran Khan followed in Mohammad’s footsteps six years later. His all-round effort gave Pakistan a massive win over arch-rivals India in 1983.
Imran asked India to bat first. And then reduced the visitors to 372 with his 6 for 98.
Pakistan had a poor start in their response. But Imran’s 117 saw Pakistan put up 652 on the scoreboard.
Then he starred again with the ball. Imran claimed 5 for 82 to bowl India out for 286 to set up a seven-run target. Pakistan closed out the chase in 13 balls with 10 wickets to spare.
5. Ben Stokes (England) vs India | 2025
Ben Stokes is the latest entrant on this list. He made India sweat with his double strike in the Manchester Test.
Stokes hadn’t bowled a lot in the last few years due to injury concerns. But he decided to keep all worries aside and bowled his heart out.
He dismissed five of India’s batters for 72 runs to restrict the visitors to 358 in the first innings. Stokes then took on a toothless Indian bowling attack.
He retired once at 66, only to return to complete his hundred. He went on to make 141 to propel England to 669.
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