In the aftermath of the thrilling last hour of the fourth Test in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series, veteran Australian cricketer Brad Haddin gave a stern message to England, citing the current no-handshake incident between England and India players.
Haddin criticised England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett for indulging in a verbal dispute with Indian batters Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. The Indian duo had built a steadfast connection as they approached individual centuries, and the match was heading for a tie.
Haddin questioned Stokes’ approach and believed Jadeja and Sundar were justified in completing their innings given their efforts to save the match for India. Haddin issued a subtle warning to England ahead of the 2018 Ashes series, implying that Crawley and Duckett could face intense scrutiny from the Australians.
“It was interesting at the end of the Test match because India went two for zero. So England is up and about. They felt they’d win the test. And that was an incredible collaboration. Gill was once again superb, as was KL Rahul.
And as the game progressed, India demonstrated amazing fight, unbelievable application to bat,” Brad Haddin
“Then it got to the point where England said, ‘We can’t win, so let’s stop the game.'” So everything must come to an end because England is no longer playing. I like what India did, mate; they earned the right to remain out there as long as they needed to. They had the right to receive a hundred. And just because it didn’t go England’s way and they didn’t receive the answer they wanted, they’re upset now,” he continued.
As the game neared its conclusion and no winner was in sight, England’s captain approached Jadeja and Sundar and suggested they settle it with a handshake. However, the Indian hitters turned down the offer and resumed their innings. England openers were observed interacting with the pair, making remarks that were perceived as attempts to coerce them into abandoning their quest for centuries.
“They became more talkative. Duckett and Crawley both reacted in ways that I believe Australia should consider. But if things don’t go England’s way, and they don’t receive the green light, then becomes everyone else’s concern. So congratulations to India for staying out there. Congratulations for getting a draw. When England dropped all those catches, they created enough opportunities to win the Test match. That’s what they should be looking at, not that India decided they wanted to continue on a little bit longer because they’d earned the right,” Haddin explained.
Haddin also appeared to defend Stokes’ choice to deliver the ball to part-timer Harry Brook in the final overs, arguing that it was a realistic move to manage the workload of England’s frontline bowlers given the short turnaround before the final Test at The Oval.
“I’m fine with that. I’m okay. If England decided there would be no result, they would play back-to-back Tests. There’s no point bowling their front-line bowlers. You want to ensure that they are as fresh as possible before they are offered for selection. And that’s been the case with cricket forever and a day. As already stated, the only entertaining aspect was the reaction when England believed they were finished; everyone else had to jump. And India, as we know, had earned the right. It’s okay to go bowl Brook and go through the overs. I loved it. Haddin concluded, “I loved how India simply turned their back on him and said, No.”
India
