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The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Shubman Gill believes England breached ‘spirit of the game' during third Test
The India captain, Shubman Gill, has strongly criticised some of England's behaviour during their ongoing Test series, describing it as not 'what I would think comes in the spirit of the game'. On the eve of the fourth Test at Old Trafford Gill was asked if he regretted confronting the England batter Ben Duckett during the last match at Lord's, a moment that prompted England to decide, as Harry Brook put it on Monday, 'to give them something back and not be the nice guys we have been in the last three or four years'. Gill's intervention came as England's openers tried – successfully as it turned out – to restrict India to bowling a single over during a seven-minute period at the end of the third day, using delaying tactics that included spotting convenient movement behind the sightscreen, and calling on the physio after being hit by the ball. 'A lot of people have been talking about this so let me clear the air for once and for all,' Gill said. 'The English batsmen on that day had seven minutes of play left. They were 90 seconds late to come to the crease. Not 10, not 20, 90 seconds late. Yes, most teams [do] this, in that position we would have also liked to play less overs, but there is a manner to do it. Yes, if you get hit on your body the physios are allowed to come on and that is something that is fair, but to be able to come 90 seconds late to the crease is not something that I would think comes in the spirit of the game, and just leading up to that event a lot of things that we thought should not have happened, they happened. 'It's not something I'm very proud of but there was a lead-up and a build-up to that. It didn't just come out of nowhere. We had no intention of doing that whatsoever, but you are playing a game, you are playing to win and there are a lot of emotions involved, and when you see there are things happening that should not happen, sometimes the emotions come out of nowhere.' Ben Stokes defended his team's behaviour, insisting that 'at not one stage did we go over the line'. He said his side would not seek to play this week in similarly antagonistic style but that they would respond in kind if they sense their opponents doing so. 'We're not going to let any team feel like they can intimidate us in any way,' he said. 'We are not going to take a backward step and let any opposition try and be confrontational towards us and not try to give a bit back.' Stokes is equally disinclined to take a backward step in his ongoing battle with the ICC over their over rates regulations. England have long felt the existing rules are unfair, with the ICC refusing to amend them at a board meeting earlier this year, and their frustration is simmering again after they were fined 10% of their match fee and docked two World Test Championship points at the end of the third Test. 'I can understand it from an external point of view, I really do,' Stokes said. 'But there's a lot that goes on out on the field. You've got fast bowlers bending their back consistently. Throughout the course of a game, the time of overs is going to come down. You've just got tired bodies. We played for five days [at Lord's], 15 days of cricket [in this series]. 'I honestly think there needs to be a real hard look at how it's structured. You can't have the same rules in Asia, where spin bowling is 70% of the overs, and in New Zealand, Australia, England, where it's going to be 70%, 80% seam, because a spinner's over takes less time than a seamer's over. Common sense would say you should look at changing how over rates are timed in different conditions. There are times when the game isn't on the line and you'll just throw the ball to a spinner to get your overs [in], but then you're playing an international game and just trying to get your over rate back. I don't think people want to come and watch that. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion While England named their team on Monday India have not yet reciprocated, as they mull possible responses to Akash Deep, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Arshdeep Singh all being ruled out of the match – and in Reddy's case, the series – through injury. Their main quandary is whether to give the 24-year-old all-rounder Anshul Kamboj, called into the squad this week, an international debut. 'We have seen him enough, the kind of skillset that he brings to the table is exactly what we want in this team and he's there because we believe he can win us the match,' Gill said. 'The belief we have within the squad [is] that any player who comes in the team can win matches for us.'
The Age
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Are England too nice? They think so – and this is how they're changing it
England Harry Brook has revealed the dressing room conversations that led the Ashes combatants to take up premeditated, tactical sledging against India, as Ben Stokes' team gears up for the trip to Australia this summer. And pace bowler Brydon Carse has explicitly linked this abrasive approach to how England want to battle Australia for the Ashes here, where England have not won a Test match since 2011, the last time they retained the urn away from home. After a spiteful Lord's Test where players on both sides lost their cool on several occasions, Brook said that coach Brendon McCullum – who has employed his friend and former New Zealand psychologist Gilbert Enoka to help motivate the England players – told the team before the game that they were 'too nice' to opponents. When Indian captain Shubman Gill harried the England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett as they tried to avoid another over being bowled on the third evening, Brook used the episode as a pretext to initiate a sledging barrage for the remainder of the match, which England went on to win narrowly. ''Baz' actually said a few days before the Test that we are too nice sometimes and I brought it up the night before the last day – I said, 'I think tomorrow is a perfect opportunity to really get stuck into them,'' Brook said before the fourth Test in Manchester. England lead India 2-1 with two Tests to play. 'We had a little conversation the night before, where everybody saw them guys get stuck into 'Creeps' and 'Ducky' [Crawley and Duckett] and we just thought, 'We're not having that'. We all piled into them. Loading 'I've had a lot of compliments. Everybody says it was awesome to watch and it looked like there was 11 versus two out there when we were fielding and it was good fun. It made fielding a lot more enjoyable.' Carse, who bowled a fiery spell to set England on the path to winning at Lord's while defending a small fourth innings target, said that expectations of a difficult Ashes assignment had the players thinking about making sure they were similarly aggressive in Australia.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
IND vs ENG Test: What is England's record at Old Trafford? Do India have a chance at equalising series?
England cricket team in the nets ahead of the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford in Manchester. (Getty Images) India face a tough challenge as they prepare to face England in the fourth Test at Old Trafford starting Wednesday. With injuries plaguing the team and a 2-1 deficit in the series, India must win to keep their hopes alive. The visitors have never won at this venue in nine attempts, making the task even more daunting. The injury to Nitish Reddy has forced India to rethink their strategy. They can no longer rely on their preferred setup of three all-rounders. Shardul Thakur might replace Reddy, but he doesn't offer the same batting skills. The team might return to their Leeds combination with just one spinner. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Team selection poses several questions. Uncapped pacers Anshul Kamboj and Prasidh Krishna are in contention if Akash Deep doesn't recover from his groin injury. Kamboj, who generates good seam movement, showed promise during training and has experience from the India A tour. The batting lineup needs to bounce back after struggling at Lord's. Shubman Gill, despite leading the run charts with over 600 runs, had a poor last Test. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 most beautiful women in the world Undo Yashasvi Jaiswal must find ways to handle Jofra Archer's pace. K L Rahul has been the most consistent batter in English conditions. Harry Brook press conference: On why India are scared, on field fights at Lord's and more Weather could play a crucial role . Manchester has seen regular rainfall, with light showers predicted during the match. This means pacers could get help on day one. England has already announced their team, with Liam Dawson replacing injured Shoaib Bashir. The series has been thrilling so far. As Harry Brook puts it: "Every game we've played so far has gone into the last hour of the game, which you do not see very often. I've had a lot of people come up to me saying 'it's been an amazing series, thank you'. Everybody said that the Lord's game was one of the best games that they've watched, so it's been an amazing series and I'm looking forward to the rest of it." Rishabh Pant seems ready to return after recovering from his finger injury. The last Indian century at Old Trafford came from Sachin Tendulkar in 1990, showing how challenging this venue has been for Indian batters. England's Test record at Old Trafford England have played 84 Test matches at the Old Trafford ground in Manchester - winning 33, losing 15 and drawing 36. They have a 2.20 win-loss rate in 140 years of Test cricket at the venue. England's last Test at Old Trafford came against Sri Lanka, which they won by 5 wickets. The last defeat at this stadium in Manchester came against Australia during the 2019 Ashes. England's Last 10 matches at Old Trafford: 2024: England won by 5 wickets 2023: England drew with Australia 2022: England won inns & 85 runs vs South Africa 2020: England won by 3 wickets vs Pakistan 2020: England won by 269 runs vs West Indies 2020: England won by 113 runs vs West Indies 2019: England lost by 185 runs vs Australia 2017: England won by 177 runs vs South Africa 2016: England won by 330 runs vs Pakistan 2014: England won by inns & 54 runs vs India Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
India Today
14 hours ago
- Sport
- India Today
Harry Brook on how Brendon McCullum encouraged England at Lord's: No more nice guys
Harry Brook revealed that Brendon McCullum felt England were being "too nice" during the Lord's Test against India. The comment stemmed from incidents that began late on Day 3, when Indian captain Shubman Gill sledged Zak Crawley over what he perceived as time-wasting tactics by Crawley and Ben Duckett, with the match hanging in the escalated further on Day 4 when Mohammed Siraj celebrated aggressively after dismissing Duckett. As a result, Siraj was fined 15 per cent of his match fee and received one demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of came at the perfect time'It was on the evening of Day 4 that McCullum reportedly told the team they were being "too nice." Brook later remarked that, given what had transpired on Day 3, England players couldn't afford to continue in that manner. "He actually said a few days before that we are too nice sometimes. I brought it up the night before the last day: 'Baz said the other day we're too nice, I think tomorrow is a perfect opportunity to really get stuck into them',' Brook told BBC Sport."It came at the perfect time. The opportunity that arose for us to not be the nice guys was because of what they did the night before. We watched two of our guys out there on their own, going back at the Indians after they were going at them. We just thought 'we're not standing for that'."We had a conversation and said 'it's time to not be those nice guys that we have been before',' Brook fight back at Lord'sWith scores level at the end of the first innings, India bowled England out for 192 in the second, putting themselves in a strong position to take a 2-1 lead in the series. However, England mounted a spirited fightback to clinch a dramatic Brook had a quiet outing in the first innings but contributed a crucial 23 off 19 balls in the second. Despite the modest score, his quickfire cameo proved valuable. Brook has been in fine form throughout the series, amassing 314 runs from three matches at an average of 52.33.- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
IND vs ENG: 'McCullum's ‘too nice' jibe lit fire under England on Day 5'
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 21: Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Ben Stokes and Harry Brook of England listen to coach Brendon McCullum ahead of a net session at Emirates Old Trafford on July 21, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by) Harry Brook revealed what fired up England's players on Day 5 of the Lord's Test against India. There were more than a few talking points during England's 22-run win over India at Lord's, but Brook said the "too nice" comment by head coach Brendon McCullum gave Ben Stokes and co. the extra motivation they needed. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'He actually said a few days before that we are too nice sometimes,' Brook told BBC Sport. 'I brought it up the night before the last day: 'Baz said the other day we're too nice. I think tomorrow is the perfect opportunity to really get stuck into them.' 'It came at the perfect time. The opportunity that arose for us to not be the nice guys was because of what they did the night before. Harry Brook press conference: On why India are scared, on field fights at Lord's and more 'We watched two of our guys out there on their own, going back at the Indians after they were going at them. We just thought, 'we're not standing for that.' 'We had a conversation and said, 'it's time to not be those nice guys that we have been before.'' Brook, who made his Test debut under McCullum and has now been appointed England's white-ball captain, explained why England are trying to shed the 'nice guys' tag. Poll Do you agree with Brendon McCullum's assessment that the team was 'too nice'? Yes, I agree No, I disagree 'At Lord's, we had a conversation and thought it was the perfect opportunity to stop being the nice guys we've been for the past three years,' he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Top 25 Most Beautiful Women In The World Articles Vally Undo 'To go out there and put them under more pressure than what they've probably faced before. 'I don't think it's against the spirit of cricket. We weren't being personal, we weren't being nasty—we were just putting them under more pressure. 'We weren't going out there effing and jeffing at them or being nasty people. We were just going about it in the right manner.' Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
