Brad Haddin calls out damning truth after handshake storm between England and India

Yahoo

29-07-2025

Former Aussie wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has called out the English cricket team for their antics following India's decision to keep batting on day five of their Test match when Ben Stokes asked to end play. Stokes, Ben Duckett and Zac Crawley have been called out for their behaviour since their draw with India at Old Trafford after carrying on when Ravi Jadeja and Washington Sundar wanted to stay out in the middle and seek their centuries when the host side asked to end the match.
Stokes and the English side approached India and asked to call time on the Test match with the visitors holding on for a stalemate after Shubman Gill scored a century to help rescue a result. Jadeja and Sundar were also both approaching the same milestone, 89 and 80 respectively, and opted to decline Stokes' invitation and keep batting.
This was a strategical move to keep England in the field and for the two batters to achieve a well deserved milestone. However, this didn't sit well with a number of English stars. Stokes was left shocked, while Duckett and Crawley shared some words with the batters.
While the Indian batters were taunted after deciding to keep batting, Harry Brook produced a number of comical deliveries in a poor look with the game tittering out. And the English have copped plenty of backlash for their decision to taunt the batters and former Aussie wicketkeeper Haddin weighed-in.
Speaking on The Talk Willow Podcast, Haddin claimed the Indian batters deserved to stay out there and record a century with England having no right to call the game when it suits them. "England were up and about and thought they were going to win the Test...and as the game went on and India showed tremendous fight," Haddin said on the Talk Willow Podcast.
"Then all of a sudden it got to a situation where England said they can't win so let's stop the game. So everything's got to stop because England are done playing. They had earnt the right to stay out there as long as they need to. They earnt the right to get 100. And just because it didn't go England's way and they didn't get the answer that they want, all of a sudden they are not happy.
"They started to get verbal, Duckett was interesting and Crawley...if things don't go England's way and they don't get the rub of the green all of a sudden it's everyone else's problems. So well done to India for staying out there, well done for getting a draw.
Haddin claimed England had their opportunities to take a number of wickets, which could have seen them ask to stay out longer and push for the victory. One major chance saw Joe Root drop Jadeja on zero. "When England were dropping all those catches, they gave enough chances to win the Test match," he added.
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England slammed for ugly Test match antics
Stokes, Crawley and Duckett didn't waste time having a go at the batters for their decision to keep batting with the English team getting tired from being in the field for so long. 'You want to get a Test hundred against Harry Brook?" Stokes said at the time. 'Just shake your hand. It's embarrassing," Crawley added, while Duckett said: 'How long do you need, an hour?'
England's antics have not gone down well in the cricket community and even former captain Alastair Cook questioned the carry-on during BBC's Test Match Special broadcast. 'Five years down the line you look at the scorecard you see two brilliant hundreds to save the game, plus obviously Gill's as well,' Cook said. 'This shouldn't become the story of the day. It should be about India's rearguard action.'
Former England captain Nasser Hussain said England looked a little 'silly' having bowled Brook at the end, but too much was made of the antics. He felt India had the right to push for individual milestones after batting so well for so long.
NASSER HUSSAIN BACKS JADEJA AND SUNDAR'S DECISION. pic.twitter.com/1wCG0IbMO9
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 27, 2025