‘There’s Less of It These Days’- England Batter Reveals How Franchise Cricket Has Helped Reduce Sledging in International Formats
Controversy erupted towards the end of day three of the third Test between England and India at Lord’s recently as opener Zak Crawley attempted to run down the clock.
This left India skipper Shuman Gill furious and he was involved in a heated exchange with Crawley. Sledging between players of the two teams continued for the remainder of the third Test.
On the fourth day of the Lord’s Test, India pacer Mohammed Siraj gave England opener Ben Duckett a fiery send-off after dismissing the latter in the second innings. The Hyderabad pacer was eventually fined 15 per cent of his match fees for his aggressive celebration.
Ollie Pope not a fan of sledging
England batter Ollie Pope, however, has said that he, for one, is not a big fan of sledging. “Not really. I am not a massive sledger,” Pope said during an interview on Sky Sports.
The 27-year-old feels that with the rise of franchise leagues like the IPL and BBL wherein international players from different countries share the dressing room, sledging has significantly reduced.
“I think there’s less of it in the game nowadays, especially with franchise cricket. You get to know the opposition better, so it’s not as common as it was maybe ten years ago,” explained the Surrey cricketer.
Where the England vs India series stands currently
England defeated India by 22 runs in the third Test at Lord’s. In the first innings, both England and India posted 387. But, in their second innings, the hosts were all out for 192 with Washington Sundar (4/22) being the pick of the Indian bowlers.
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India were thus set a target of 193, but failed to chase it down as they were all out for 170. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (61*) was the lone fighter in the end with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj supporting him briefly.
The win helped England regain the lead after having lost the second Test at Edgbaston by 336 runs. The hosts lead the five-match Test series 2-1. The fourth Test will begin from July 23 at Manchester’s Old Trafford.
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