​Ben Stokes vs Ian Botham: Comparing the England all-rounder legends’ stats after latest ‘has-been vs never-been’ feud originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.Ian Botham playfully inducted Ben Stokes into the “has-beens club” after the England captain retired from international cricket.Stokes responded with “it’s better to be a has-been than a never-been”.Botham and Stokes are considered among the best all-rounders England has seen.The Cricket News compares Botham and Stokes in terms of their international careers.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBen Stokes and Ian Botham have revived one of cricket’s most interesting rivalries between England’s all-rounders after a light-hearted yet sarcastic banter over the “has-beens” term.Last November, England took preparation for Ashes under the captaincy of Stokes by playing an intra-squad game in Perth at a club ground. Many former players believed that England should have been preparing against Australia at larger venues.Stokes responded to the criticism and stated that, “There’s quite a few factors that play into the whole of why we can’t prepare how the has-beens maybe prepared in the past.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementStokes later apologised, saying that he misspoke, but his response ignited a storm with many former players annoyed with him.MORE:Super 7 in ODI World Cup 2027: Explaining new seven-team formatBotham appeared on BBC’s Test Match Special during the first ODI between England and India that was played in support of the Bob Willis Trust.In the interview, Botham said, “As we know Michael Vaughan and I… We don’t know what we’re talking about. Couple of old has-beens.””Ben, if you’re listening, congratulations you’ve joined the club. You’re now a has-been.”This statement was made by Botham in reference to Stokes retiring from international cricket but as we know, there had been a wider discussion before that.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMORE:England win, Messi to score: Shastri, Vaughan drop World Cup semi-final predictionsStokes posted on X and referenced Botham in the following way:”The quote ‘It’s better to be a has-been than a never-been’ originates from Lord Ian Botham.”This post seems to refer to the joke made by Botham and at the same time emphasises the mutual respect that exists between two cricketers whose careers are often compared.MORE:Rohit Sharma before and after Champions Trophy: India star’s declining ODI formCategoryIan BothamBen StokesTests102122Test runs5,2007,273Test centuries1414Test wickets383252Test five-wicket hauls276ODIs116114ODI runs2,1133,463ODI wickets14574Stats:ESPNcricinfoAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBotham’s stats are still something to be admired, with 383 Test wickets and 14 centuries, while he is remembered for his incredible Ashes performance in 1981, which made him an icon of English cricket.Although Stokes doesn’t come close to Botham’