Kevin Pietersen has leapt to Ben Stokes’ defence after the England captain was criticised for his response to India refusing an early finish towards the tip of the fourth Test.
India left Emirates Old Trafford on Sunday with a draw to maintain the Rothesay series alive – England lead 2-1 – after the tourists batted out five sessions as Stokes’ side took just 4 wickets in 143 overs.
England’s toil may need ended earlier as Stokes offered to shake hands with 15 overs left but he was rebuffed by Ravindra Jadeja as he and fellow spinner Washington Sundar were approaching their a whole lot.
The hosts were visibly irritated by the choice and a couple of offered some alternative words, while Stokes withdrew his frontline bowlers and turned to Harry Brook‘s loopy mid-30mph off-spin to hasten a finish.
Only when each Jadeja and Washington brought up three figures did the penultimate Test of the series conclude, but Stokes was labelled a “spoilt kid” by former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar on streaming service JioHotstar in India.
Pietersen on X
Pietersen, a former England team-mate of Stokes, views things in a different way, though, as he said on X: “Two days fielding and no result on the cards – you WANT to get off the sector!
“You can’t have a pop at Ben Stokes for his frustration. Very easy to have a pop at him if you’re sitting in your lounge watching. You’re NOT within the battle. Leave the lads within the ring to be emotional.”
With a blockbuster Ashes series looming on the horizon, many Australian media outlets have seized upon the contentious day five incident in Manchester, with a Sydney Morning Herald opinion piece titled: “Spare us the whinging, England. The one thing embarrassing about Old Trafford was your tantrum.”
Stokes, whose side will look to seal a series win on the Kia Oval this week, insisted he wouldn’t have had more satisfaction from getting 100 than an 80 or 90 not out to assist his side avoid defeat.
Needle
But former Australia opening batter and head coach Justin Langer told Australian every day digital newspaper The Nightly: “It’s great to see that Test cricket still has that tough edge.
“If the roles were reversed, I imagine if it were Ben Stokes whose young team-mates had the prospect to attain a Test 100, he would have done the very same thing (as Jadeja and Sundar).”
Tensions between England and India had died down in Manchester after the rancour at Lord’s earlier this month although this latest flashpoint adds one other layer of drama to this week’s fifth and final Test.
Pietersen added: “The Stokes issue should NOT distract from the batters who batted to save lots of the Test Match! Outstanding effort and one which makes The Oval an important Test.
“Every BIG series I played in had needle and a few kind of controversy at some stage. Enjoy this controversy leading into the fifth Test. It’s what makes a series memorable!”
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