Rarest Record In 18 Years! English Keeper Steals Spotlight With Gloves Amid Run Riot

Ben Foakes [Source: @ICC/X]

In a jaw-dropping display of batting dominance, Warwickshire piled up 665-5 declared against Surrey at Edgbaston in the 2025 County Championship, but it was English wicketkeeper Ben Foakes who quietly stole the spotlight. 

Despite the hosts’ mammoth total, the highest in first-class cricket on English soil since 2007, Ben Foakes remarkably went without conceding a single bye across 160 gruelling overs.

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Foakes' 160 Overs, Zero Byes Breaks 18-Year-Old Keeping Milestone!

Foakes, overlooked for England’s Test side since the 2023/24 India tour, etched his name into cricket’s record books. The total surpasses the previous English milestone set by Gloucestershire’s Jack Russell in 2002, when he kept wicket without a bye during Northamptonshire’s 746-9. 

Table - Highest team totals without a bye in County Championship

Globally, the feat still trails Queensland’s Chris Hartley, who weathered a 236-over onslaught during Victoria’s 806-8 declaration in the 2008/09 Sheffield Shield.

Notably, Foakes’ achievement also falls short of Mizoram’s Uday Kaul, who last topped the charts in 2021/22 by keeping a clean sheet against Bihar’s 686-5 declaration in India’s Ranji Trophy.

Warwickshire Dominate With Run Fest Against Surrey

Speaking of the match, Surrey captain Rory Burns’ decision to field first backfired spectacularly as Warwickshire’s batters ran riot. Tom Latham anchored the innings with a classy 184, while Ed Barnard and 19-year-old debutant Zen Malik piled on further misery with an unbeaten 215-run partnership. 

The declaration at 665-5 left Surrey reeling, though Foakes’ precision behind the stumps limited extras to 27 (all leg byes or no-balls) in a masterclass of glovework.

By stumps, Surrey had crawled to 98-1 in reply, but the day belonged to Warwickshire’s batters, and one defiant wicketkeeper. Foakes’ flawless performance, under the weight of 665 runs, reignites debates about his England recall while underscoring his status as one of the game’s most technically gifted keepers.

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