Stokes lost his cool – but let's not lose ours
In a big cricket match in Manchester, England's captain Ben Stokes got really upset. He wanted to stop the game early — kind of like ending a game before the final whistle — because he felt no one could win. But there's a rule in cricket: both teams have to agree before a match can end early. Stokes forgot that rule.
When India didn't agree, Stokes and some of his teammates behaved badly — they were grumpy and rude, which isn't what good sports should do. In fact, the match referee (the person who watches over the game) might even step in to look at their behaviour.
Things like this have happened before. In 1983, Pakistan's captain walked off the field too early, and umpires had to bring his team back so the game could finish properly.
Some fans online said Stokes' behaviour reminded them of colonial attitudes — meaning, they thought it showed old British arrogance. But that's not really true. Stokes was born in New Zealand, and even England's head coach, Brendon McCullum, is also a New Zealander. What really happened was Stokes got frustrated because England was winning earlier but couldn't finish the job. India's young team, led by captain Shubman Gill, stayed strong and didn't give up. That was the real highlight of the match.
The series now stands at 2-1 in England's favour, and the final match at the Oval promises to be super exciting!
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