Ben Stokes’ England side have come under fire from sections of the Australian Media.
It comes after England players reprimanded India’s batsmen for not immediately agreeing to a draw in the final hour of Sunday’s fourth Test match at Old Trafford on Sunday.
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There was a fiery end to England’s fourth Test match against India at Old TraffordCredit: Getty
After fighting back to deny England a series win, Indian batsmen Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja felt the heat from an agitated Stokes and co after their decision not to accept a draw in the final session.
India boasted a lead of 71 runs with 15 overs left to play while having six wickets remaining with Sundar and Jedja both at the peak of their powers having notched 80 and 89 respectively.
With Sundar closing in on his first Test century and Jedeja 11 runs of his first series ton, both opted to play on to achieve their milestones.
However, the decision left Stokes and other England players frustrated.
The game resumed after Stokes had brought batter Harry Brook in to bowl in disapproval at India’s decision to play on.
Meanwhile, other England players were heard sledging the Indian duo.
“You want to get a Test hundred against Harry Brook?” Stokes was heard saying to Jadeja. “If you wanted to score a century, you should have batted like you wanted to get it.”
‘Zak Crawley added: “Just shake your hand. It’s embarrassing.”
Brook went on to concede 24 runs of three overs as Sundar and Jadeja registered their century in just 15 minutes.
But it could have been done and dusted in quicker fashion had they not chosen to play the odd block shot which again sparked frustration amongst England’s players.
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Stokes and his England teammates were left frustrated by India’s decision to play onCredit: Getty
“F***ing hell Washy, get on with it. Get on with it mate,” Brook said.
“‘Just hit a boundary” and “How long do you need, an hour?,” others were heard saying.
Jadeja then hit a six to bring up his century and celebrated profusely with Sundar. The pair then shook hands to agree on the draw.
How was the conflict viewed in Australia?
But the fallout has reverberated down under with the Australian media hitting out at England while labelling them ‘moral hypocrites.’
Stokes was called out for what the Aussies have claimed to be double standards with their actions also described as embarrassing as the trash talking ahead of this winter’s Ashes kicked off early.
“The only thing embarrassing about Old Trafford was your tantrum,” wrote cricket journalist Daniel Brettig.
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Batsman Harry Brook was brought in to bowl in order to made life easy for Jadeja and Sundar to reach their milestonesCredit: Getty
Brettig also fired a shot at Brook, after the Englishman’s claim that it would be a ‘moral victory’ if they won the final Test at The Oval during the 2023 Ashes series.
“Another comprehensive moral victory for England, then,” Brettig added.
The Daily Telegraph’s headline read: “Babbling Brook and the Bazball boys will be eminently hateable this summer.”
Meanwhile, Australian outlet Code Sports weighed in with their own criticism writing: “Moral hypocrites England decide tons are anti-cricket.
“The new tough-talking, pot-stirring English cricket team is suffering from a baffling identity crisis on the eve of The Ashes tour, going into meltdown after two Indian batters had the audacity to tell them ‘no’,”.
The bashing continued with Fox Sports ‘ Courtney Walsh slamming England for ‘claiming the moral high ground’ every time there was a contentious decision.
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Ben Stokes was in the firing line for some brutal criticism from the Australian mediaCredit: Getty
“The ‘Spirit of Cricket’ is sleeping restlessly once again, tormented by an insufferable lot,” Walsh added before referring to Stokes as ‘petulant’.
To make matters worse, criticism has been leveled against England from a familiar face.
Geoffrey Boycott described England as ‘gobby’ in his latest column for The Telegraph.
He was in agreement with Sundar and Jedeja, claiming he wouldn’t have walked off had he worked as hard as the Indian pairing.
However, former-England batsman Jonathan Trott says Stokes would have accepted the draw if the shoe were on the other foot.
“I don’t think England would have had the personal milestones on their mind personally, that’s just my view. Maybe if somebody was close to getting it, their maiden century, it would have been a little bit different,” Trott told Jio Hotstar.
talkSPORT Verdict
David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd told talkSPORT Cricket:
“There’s no chance of a result. The result has gone. Surely it should be down to the umpires to say: ‘We can’t get a result, the game has ended.’ It’s the umpire’s decision.
“So for India, two players want to get to personal milestones and they want England to bowl at them whilst they do that.
“The game’s dead. The game’s finished. You can’t get a result, there isn’t enough time.
“So the difficulty for me is if you want a personal milestone, you want us to bowl at you, do you? For you to get your personal milestone.”
“You could tell by the way that Ben Stokes has reacted that if they were in the same seat, they probably would have shook the Indian captain’s hand if it was offered – if Shubman Gill went up to the English batsman and they were in the same position, they would have walked off.
“That’s what Test cricket’s about. It’s played hard, it’s played fair, but there’s also a code and a sort of ethos that the game is played with equal respect for each other.”