A certain action by England’s Harry Brook has stirred a fresh layer of tension in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy on Wednesday. During India’s first innings in Manchester, Brook was seen sprinting across the field at near-full speed between an over, shifting ends while fielding at slip.
The moment, caught on camera, is being widely interpreted as a tongue-in-cheek response to England being penalised for a slow over-rate at Lord’s, a ruling that had already left many disgruntled.
England were docked two World Test Championship points after the Lord’s Test for falling short of the required over-rate. Many believe the decision was harsh, with frustrations fuelled by Indian batters regularly taking prolonged breaks between overs. The ball was also changed due to visible damage, reportedly caused by the Duke’s batch, which had already drawn criticism for its inconsistency.
Brook’s exaggerated urgency at Old Trafford now appears to be England’s silent protest, a mocking jab rather than a genuine effort at saving seconds.
The timing of Brook’s antics also adds fuel to an already simmering narrative. Just a day earlier, Shubman Gill had taken aim at the hosts in his press conference, claiming that England’s batters were nearly 90 seconds late to begin their second innings at Lord’s; a delay that proved crucial as India could bowl just one over before stumps.
Gill also clashed verbally with Zak Crawley at the time, whose deliberate time-wasting during Jasprit Bumrah’s over had incensed the Indian side.
Gill said Tuesday that England had acted against the “spirit of the game” by delaying play at Lord’s, and as he came to bat following the fall of the second wicket in India’s innings, he was greeted by boos from the fans in Manchester.
England opted to field
For the fourth successive time, Ben Stokes won the toss in the series but opted to field on this occasion. India enjoyed a wicketless first session but lost KL Rahul for 46 in the early minutes of the second. Jaiswal, too, departed after a gritty 58 as Gill joined youngster Sai Sudharsan in the middle.
India are trailing the five-Test series 2-1 and require a win to keep their hopes alive for a series win in England.