Explore the controversy surrounding the England captain’s frustration with India’s last hour move at Manchester, making Ben Stokes the New “Cry Baby” of Test Cricket
Introduction
A gripping controversy erupted during the final hours of Day 5 in the fourth Test between England and India at Manchester. England captain Ben Stokes offered a shake-hands draw with 15 overs remaining—but Indian batters Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar humbly refused, pushing on to score well-deserved centuries and sparking a fierce reaction from the English team.
The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series stands at 2–1 in favour of England, with the final Test at The Oval to decide the fate of this amazing Test series.
India, after losing 2 quick wickets in the first over of their second innings, was facing a Test series defeat with more than a day to bat. Rishabh Pant’s injury doubled India’s trouble in the 3rd innings of the Test match.
After being 0 for 2 wickets, an inspired partnership by captain Shubman Gill and KL Rahul started an amazing fightback from Team India which inspired an even bigger partnership between all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who helped India negotiate Day 5 of the Manchester Test match safely and played out the draw, keeping the series alive for the visitors. The fightback to draw the Test is as big as a win for Team India, and England will be the only team disappointed with this result. Team India will take this confidence to the 5th Test.
England’s Ben Stokes offered a draw at the start of the last hour of play, but the Indian team captain chose to continue the game for his two all-rounders to reach the three-figure milestone which they richly deserved. Jadeja and Washington were batting on 89 and 80 respectively before the start of the last hour of play.
Reaching a century in England is a significant achievement for any visiting player, and the Indian captain allowed his batsmen to play the extra time to complete their centuries.
Test Cricket is a game more played in the mind than on the ground.
England had bowled 138 overs; bowlers were tired, and the extension in the game piled onto the fatigue. This mind game played by India further frustrated the England captain and the fielders, who had to be on the field knowing a result other than a draw in the game was not possible.
Ben Stokes Labelled ‘Spoilt Kid’
England’s conduct in the last hour of the Manchester Test was regrettable. A frustrated Ben Stokes decided to bowl Harry Brook, choosing not to use his tired frontline bowlers as India refused to accept his offer of a draw with 15 overs left on Day 5.
The England side was hoping for a series win on Day 5, but some inspirational batting against a toothless England bowling attack changed the complexion of the game from an imminent defeat to a well-fought draw.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain termed Ben Stokes’ decision to bring Harry Brook into the attack as “silly”, stating that Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar fully deserved their centuries.
“I didn’t have a problem with it. England seemed to have a problem with it. They were a bit tired, tired bowlers, so they wanted to get off, but two lads worked hard to get to 80s and 90s and they wanted to get Test match hundreds,” Hussain said on ‘Sky Sports’.
“I think Ben Stokes in the end behaved like a spoilt kid, I would like to see what England would have done if two of their batsmen were nearing Test hundreds?” – Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said on ‘JioHotstar’.
England and Ben Stokes’ Hypocrisy
After England’s unsuccessful attempt to breach the Indian batting lineup after 143 overs in the 3rd innings, England went into a righteous fit after India decided to continue to bat when a draw was offered in the final 15 overs. England were incensed and extremely frustrated by the Indian team’s decision. The decision did not go down well with the tired English players on the field. They started sledging the Indian batsmen, who were amused by the host’s behaviour, who advocate ‘Spirit of the Game’ only when it suits them and a blind eye when they are on the receiving end. The stump mic caught Harry Brook and Zak Crawley getting into a verbal exchange with Jadeja, and tensions flared.
The series exposed the England team’s hypocrisy
- Being frustrated when the opponent wasted time but having a different yardstick when they did a similar act to avoid the extra over to bat at the close of play.
- English bowlers targeted Rishabh Pant’s fractured leg when the southpaw could hardly stand while batting.
- They did not want the opponent batsmen to go for a well-earned milestone after helping their team to save a Test match.
The laws of the game clearly say you can’t consider a game over until the overs are bowled or both captains have agreed on ending the game prematurely. The Indian captain was well within his rights to allow the game to be extended for his batsmen to reach the well-deserved milestones.
Even with his 12th Player-of-the-Match award in Test cricket, the behaviour of Ben Stokes, the England captain, overshadowed the competitive, gritty and tough cricketer he is.
Summary
England’s moral posturing exposed the team’s double standards and hypocrisy.
Ben Stokes’ conduct, especially his decision to bowl part-time options has drawn widespread criticism.
This incident highlights a broader issue of the “spirit of the game.” While England advocates for the spirit of the game, their actions during this Test match seemed to contradict those principles.
With tempers simmering, cricket fans will be in for a treat with possible high-stakes drama in the 5th Test at The Oval, where a series-level draw or an England series win is on the cards
Our website : supersports360.com
Trending Article:
Bowlers- Economy rate vs Strike rate
MasterClass in Fielding Positions
Time to look beyond Bumrah in Test Cricket
Join us on Twitter (x) : @360supersports
Leave A Comment