In the third Test at Lord’s, England opener Zak Crawley was at the centre of a charged moment with Indian batsman Shubman Gill. The two cricketers Shubman Gill and Zak Crawley, were involved in a heated altercation on the field. The Indian skipper was overheard on the stump mic firing an expletive-filled jibe at Crawley in the Lord’s Test: “Grow some f*** b***s.” The incident went viral in no time, and there was furore over sportsmanship and player behaviour.
Zak Crawley Replies To Shubman Gill’s Accusation
Gill later explained the altercation, saying that he was frustrated because Crawley had intentionally been attempting to lose time. When talking to the press following Day 2 of the current fourth Test, Crawley made light of the altercation, describing it as a “unintentional” and stating that he was never wanted to break any rules.
“No, it wasn’t intentional. I sit in my spot until the umpires go out. I walked out when I saw them go. I wasn’t aware we were 90 seconds late, but fair enough,” he said.
“Most of the time, I’d probably let it slide, and then other times, I feel like it’s a good chance to put it back on them. I loved that little eight-minute passage. No-one stepped over the line. I thought everyone was in good spirits. It was just competitive cricket, and I really enjoyed it,” he added.
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“There’s Two Of You Against Eleven”
Actually, Crawley said he enjoys those heated confrontations on the pitch. “I’ve always enjoyed that part of cricket, to be honest, especially when you’re batting. There’s two of you against eleven and they’re desperate to get you out, and they’re chirping you,” he said.
Crawley Praises Rishabh Pant’s Knock
Crawley also appreciated Rishabh Pant’s incredible grit. The Indian vice-captain came out to bat on Day 2 with a confirmed fracture in his toe. “Not many people in the world would be able to come out and bat like he did on one foot,” he said.
England in Drivers Seat In 4th Test
Day 2 was mostly England’s, with them fighting back into the game after a wobbly beginning. Ben Stokes tore through India’s tail with a five-wicket haul, his first in a Test since 2017, as the visitors lost their last six wickets for 96 runs. England then constructed a dominant opening stand of 166, with Crawley and Ben Duckett both getting good starts but failing short of a hundreds.
At stumps, England was well-placed at 225/2 against India’s 358, with Ollie Pope (20) and Joe Root (11) remaining unbeaten on the field.
