Stuart Broad, was filled with anger and frustration when Ben Stokes chose not to review a controversial decision made by the umpire during the second Ashes Test at Lord's. The incident occurred when Marnus Labuschagne was trapped LBW, and although the umpire declared him not out, it appeared to be an extremely close call. Broad firmly believed that Labuschagne was out, but Stokes decided against challenging the decision. However, the replays later revealed that the ball would have hit the leg stump, making the review successful. Broad expressed his dissatisfaction with the incident and made his frustration known to the captain when head coach Brendon McCullum indicated from the dressing room that it should have been given out.
Bazball facing flak
England's commitment to playing in the style of 'Bazball' has tested the patience of both former players and fans, particularly following another careless batting performance that has put their Ashes hopes in jeopardy.
During the second Test at Lord's, England's captain Ben Stokes and Harry Brook took to the crease with the match finely balanced, despite a chaotic final session on the previous evening. However, the home team's batting lineup crumbled from a promising score of 278-4 to be all out for 325, allowing Australia to gain a significant first-innings lead of 91 runs. Once again, England were solely responsible for their own downfall.
In the preceding day's play, Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett, and Joe Root all gave away their wickets to the Australian bowlers, even though it was apparent that the visitors were employing a short-ball strategy. England's start on the third day turned into a nightmare when Ben Stokes, who had shown responsible batting the previous evening, was dismissed by Mitchell Starc off only the second ball.
In the past, England and most other Test teams would have regrouped and focused on rebuilding their innings after such setbacks. However, this current England team seems to lack that resilience and determination.
Brook, who made 50, threw way his wicket after an ugly swipe to a Starc delivery ended up in the hands of Australia captain Pat Cummins.
"Shocking shot," former England captain Michael Vaughan told the BBC. "England clearly like losing. Yesterday they gifted Australia three wickets.
"They arrive on day three, the pitch is doing a bit more. To see that wicket and Australia now know they are bowling to the tail."
Jonny Bairstow, the final recognised specialist batsman, played a lackluster shot that resulted in an easy catch for Cummins off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood. Ollie Robinson took an aggressive approach and charged down the track against part-time spinner Travis Head, only to edge the ball. Stuart Broad, on the other hand, failed to execute a successful sweep shot against the same bowler.
Alastair Cook, the former England captain who led the team to victory in two Ashes series, expressed his thoughts on the matter, saying there was "a sense of shock around the ground".
"We keep going back to that spell, how precious Test match runs and sessions are," he said.
"We've all watched enough cricket, when you get in positions, it is so precious and you have to realise how precious that is and treasure it."
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