No more Mr Nice Guy as England seek series-clinching win
After exchanging good-natured wins at Headingley and Edgbaston, the Rothesay Test series grew testy at the home of cricket as India's fielders clashed with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in a time-wasting row.
That lit a fire under England when it was their turn to field, with Jofra Archer giving a pumped-up send-off to Rishabh Pant while Brydon Carse and Ravindra Jadeja were involved in a mid-pitch collision.
India crumbled to 170 all out in pursuit of 193 to fall 2-1 down ahead of this week's penultimate Test at Emirates Old Trafford, but Brook did not think England crossed any line in their pursuit of victory.
Brook said: 'I've had a lot of compliments. Everybody (I've spoken to) said it was awesome to watch. It was good fun, I have to admit, it was tiring but it made fielding a lot more enjoyable.
'I think it put them under a little bit more pressure. The opportunity that arose for us to not be the nice guys was because of what they did. We just thought 'we're not standing for that'.
'We had a conversation and said 'it's time to not be those nice guys that we have been before'. You don't always have to be nice. Who knows, that might have played into our favour. It was good fun.
'We were doing it within the spirit of the game. We weren't going out there effing and jeffing at them and being nasty people. We were just going about it in the right manner.'
England have been accused of being too carefree in the 'Bazball' era, and Brook revealed it was at his urging after some choice words from head coach Brendon McCullum that they should shed that approach.
Asked whether that extra bit of spice will follow the teams up north as England look to guarantee a series win, Brook replied: 'God knows. We'll see whether it happens again and whether it works.
'We were just putting them under more pressure. Baz (McCullum) actually said a few days before that we are too nice sometimes, and I brought it up the night before the last day: 'Baz said the other day we're too nice, I think tomorrow is a perfect opportunity to really get stuck into them'.'
Mohammed Siraj was fined 15 per cent of his match fee and given one demerit point for his angry send-off of Duckett during England's second innings, which ended with the pair brushing shoulders.
He anticipates more needle between the teams in Manchester, saying: 'Yes (we will see more of it). I'm thinking what we need, what a player needs is sledging.'
Brook had a rare fallow week at Lord's with just 34 runs and for the second time in the past eight months, he was knocked off top spot in the Test batting rankings by fellow Yorkshireman Joe Root.
'My main reason I'm in the team is to score runs and I don't want that (ranking) to affect my batting,' Brook added. 'I'm going to go out there, still be the batter I am.
'Everybody wants to be number one (in the world), don't they? Joe is a phenomenal player. I'm not in the same league as him.
'In my opinion, he's the best Test batter of all time. So I'll let him have that one for now.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Karen Carney fights back tears over women's football backlash at Euro 2025 final
A former England player and ITV presenter was moved by a compilation of footage showing past criticism of women's football ahead of the Euro 2025 final on Sunday, 27 July. As the Lionesses prepared to face Spain, the broadcaster aired an interview with Beth Mead in which the striker recalled how she was laughed at when she started her career playing for a boys' team. Karen Carney, one of England's most-capped players, became emotional after the interview finished as she reflected on how far the sport has come. "There is a little girl and also a little boy that now knows that there is a place for everybody to play football," she said.
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ben Stokes enjoying ‘high quality' games between England and India despite draw
Ben Stokes praised a showing of 'high-quality cricket' between England and India as the fourth Test ended in a draw. England reached 669 in their first innings before the game fizzled out, with India closing the day on 425 for four. KL Rahul fell for 90 before Jofra Archer then dismissed Shubman Gill for 103 and Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar both scored tons. Stokes hailed the quality of the Test, telling Sky Sports: 'I thought Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett's opening partnership was incredibly crucial in the way we could sort of lay the foundations for the game. 'The opening partnership, the way they took the Indian attack on, the rate they were managing to score at it sort of allowed us to go, 'right we're going to try and bat once' and look to hopefully bowl India out. 'It started great yesterday with two wickets in the first over, but it was one of those wickets where if you got in, you felt like you were going to be the one to make the mistake to get out. 'It's been a back-and-forth series so far, we've been throwing punches and India have been throwing punches back at us, it's just been real high-quality cricket – two very good teams. 'Got to give credit to the way India came out here and performed under the pressure they were.' With the game destined for a draw, the final stages of the match saw India's batters electing against shaking hands with 15 overs left. Jadeja and Sundar scored hundreds before shaking hands and Stokes revealed he offered to shake with the aim of protecting his bowling attack. 'I think all the hard work was done by India, they both played incredibly well,' Stokes added. 'It got to that point where there was obviously only one result and there was no chance I was going to risk any of my big, fast bowlers for injuries with one more game to go. '(Liam Dawson) has bowled so many overs this game, his body started to get a little bit tired and cramp up in the legs. 'I wasn't risking any of my frontline bowlers for that last half-an-hour.' Stokes appeared to be troubled by his left leg and a problem in his right shoulder, and admitted he was 'pretty sore'. 'It's been a big five or six weeks,' he said. 'I'll always try and give everything that I possibly can. Try and run through a brick wall. 'I ask the guys up there to run through a brick wall for the team. I'll always try and do the same to try and lead by example in that sense. ' Bowling, being out in the field all that kind of stuff it is tough work, but pretty sore.' When asked specifically about his shoulder, he added: 'It's just a workload thing, got through a fair few amount of overs and just everything starts creeping up on you. 'I'll keep trying, keep going. As I always say to all the bowlers, pain is only an emotion.'
Telegraph
11 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Watch: Protesters dragged away after confronting transgender darts player Noa-Lynn van Leuven
Women's sport campaigners were forcibly thrown out of the World Matchplay Darts for protesting against transgender player Noa-Lynn van Leuven. Jean Hatchet says she was left with 'bruises and scratches' from her 'very violent' removal for holding up a 'he's a man' banner at the women's event in Blackpool. The demonstration took place as Van Leuven, the first openly transgender woman in the sport, trounced Lorraine Winstanley in a best-of-seven-legs fixture. Van Leuven was halted in the next round, however, by Fallon Sherrock, losing 5-4. Hatchet, a writer who was wearing a 'Sex Matters' T-shirt at the event, posted footage of security guards manhandling protesters out of the venue. She posted on social media that it had been a 'horrific display of brute force against women who didn't even get a chance to say 'he's a man' before being dragged out'. She was among at least three protesters thrown out. Another wore a 'Save Women's Sport' T-shirt. Glad the man Noa-Lynn Van Loeven is OUT of the women's darts. @OfficialPDC now you can answer why women were treated like THIS — Jean Hatchet (@JeanHatchet) July 27, 2025 While many sports have toughened rules against male-born athletes in women's competitions in recent years, transgender players are generally allowed to compete in line with the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA)'s inclusive policy. Despite the protests, PDC Darts posted favourable messages about Van Leuven's involvement, describing the first-round victory 'as a dominant display to break new ground in Blackpool'. Van Leuven gets off the mark in Blackpool...! 📺 #WomensMatchplay — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) July 27, 2025 Van Leuven took a step back from the sport at the beginning of this year citing mental-health reasons after facing intense scrutiny last year. Ahead of the Blackpool tournament, the Dutch player said: 'I love this game too much and why would I let anyone else ruin my passion for darts? 'I just want to play darts. It feels amazing to be back. It's such an iconic place to play at. Last year I just lacked a bit of confidence, I guess. I've been gaining a lot of stage experience now, so hopefully I can bring my A game to the stage this time.' The Professional Darts Corporation has been approached for a response.
