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The Sun
19 minutes ago
- The Sun
Sky Sports forced to apologise after Ben Stokes is smacked in privates with ball leaving fans wincing
SKY SPORTS were forced to apologise to viewers after Ben Stokes took a smack to his privates bits against India. Fans were left clutching their own crown jewels after the England star was whacked with a cricket ball during Friday's Fourth Test. 3 Joe Root hit a magnificent hundred on day three of the Fourth Test between England's 2-1 lead on India at Old Trafford. Root's 38th Test century bumped him up to second on the all-time leading run-scorers list in Test cricket. But it was Stokes, 34, that hit the headlines after the ball caught him in his genitals. Stokes was batting when a ferocious shot rocketed between his bat and, well, found its mark. Cameras zoomed on Stokes writhing in pain, leading to a wave of sympathetic groans from viewers at home. The commentator said: "Oh! Movement, pain. He's been hit in the midships again." While Prakash Wakankar on comms joked about what the physio could do about it. The British commentator then added: "Sorry if you heard any expletives there, but perhaps you can understand why." Fans took to social media to joke about the incident, with one writing: "X marks the spot 🤣". While another said: "Should have protection there." India star carried off Old Trafford pitch in ambulance cart after horror injury in Test match against England A third added: "That's got to hurt." Stokes, ever the warrior, eventually picked himself up, though with a noticeable limp to remain not out as England went 544-7 after the first Innings. England lead India by 186 runs with three wickets remaining. Meanwhile, Root pushed past Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting while scoring 150. It's now only Sachin Tendulkar keeping him off the summit. The Yorkshireman, 34, has a way to go to eclipse The Little Master's tally of 15,921. He needs a further 2,513 runs to become No 1 - but at the relatively young age of 34, Tendulkar's record seems achievable. 3
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Dogged Ben Stokes picks restraint over savagery as the perfect foil to Joe Root - as he always does, he gets back up again, writes OLIVER HOLT
It was the first delivery with the new ball that felled Ben Stokes. Mohammed Siraj had waited until the third ball of the over to use it and, as Stokes tried to pull it on to the legside, it struck him amidships. Stokes went down hard and lay at the popping crease, writhing in pain. When the crowd saw the replay on the big screens at either side of Old Trafford, there was a giant groan of collective sympathy. One social media site produced an immediate catalogue of other occasions on which Stokes had been similarly incapacitated and pronounced that, given he had gone on to be player of the match in three of them, this might actually be a good omen. Siraj, never the most sympathetic of opponents, stood over him for a second and looked at him with disdain, as if he were mystified as to why Stokes were making such a fuss. Stokes tried to say something but gave up and allowed himself to recover. Then the England skipper hauled himself back to his feet. One way or another, Stokes always hauls himself back to his feet. And then play resumed. And in what may prove to have been the most important session of this fourth Test, he and Joe Root took the match and the series away from India. This was indisputably Root's day, a day when he passed Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting in the ranks of the greatest Test run scorers of all time on his way to a magnificent innings of 150, and now sits behind only Sachin Tendulkar in the pantheon. But part of the joy of what unfolded here in Manchester on Friday was the privilege of watching two England greats, two mates, two captains, two leaders, two wonderful cricketers, at the crease together, working together at a seminal stage of a dramatic series. So the day was a triumph for Stokes, too. If one were to pick a Player of the Series at the end of the third day of this Test match, it would be him. Stokes has led England superbly — he is the series' leading wicket-taker, he took five wickets in India's first innings here and now he has stepped up with the bat, too. England were not exactly in trouble when Stokes came to the crease at 349-4 but they had lost the wickets of Ollie Pope and Harry Brook in quick succession and their prospects of building a big lead over the tourists were starting to dim. Stokes changed that. He played with far more restraint than savagery. He guarded his wicket jealously and allowed Root's elegant carving to do most of the damage. Stokes was content to make sure he stuck around so England could build the defining partnership of this contest. And that is what it became. Stokes scored 14 from his first 38 balls and saw off the challenge of India's spinners, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, bowling at him in tandem. When Siraj returned to the visitors' attack, he may have put Stokes down but he did not take him out. Stokes resumed. There were isolated moments of pure atavism. Not long after he had been felled, Stokes danced down the wicket to Anshul Kamboj who was bowling with the new ball, and thrashed it back past him through mid-on for four. Later, he smote a beautiful drive through the covers off Jasprit Bumrah. He clipped a Sundar delivery to mid-wicket for a single after tea to bring up his first half-century of the series and take England to 470-4, a lead of 112. It took him 97 balls to reach his 50. He only hit three boundaries on his way to the landmark, the fewest of any Test 50 he has compiled. It was a sign of his utter determination not to let England's grip on this series slip with victory in sight. Eventually, Stokes began to let loose but an extravagant reverse sweep appeared to set off a bout of cramp that got worse and worse and when he reached 66, his partnership with Root worth 142, he limped back to the pavilion to allow Jamie Smith to take his place. Then he hauled himself back up again. Root was out soon after Stokes had disappeared into the England dressing room and Smith and Chris Woakes were both out cheaply. So, just after 6pm, less than an hour after he had limped off, Stokes strode back out to the middle like Captain Indestructible. There were huge cheers from the steepling temporary stand to Stokes's left as the England captain walked down the stairs and the crowd realised who was coming in. Stokes added another 11 runs to his total to finish the day not out on 77, with England on 544-7. Their lead is 186. It was a masterful innings in its own way, too, a doggedly patient innings, an innings played against type, an innings full of courage and defiance and resolve. By close of play, it was the longest England had batted in a Test innings in this country under the captaincy of Stokes.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Ollie Pope insists Ben Stokes can contribute fully as all-rounder after cramp
Ollie Pope insisted Ben Stokes can contribute fully as an all-rounder this weekend after the England captain dealt with a bout of cramp in his left leg against India on Friday. Shortly after making his first fifty in 2025 on day three of the fourth Rothesay Test, Stokes looked increasingly discomforted and eventually headed back to the pavilion as he retired hurt on 66. England revealed the issue was nothing more substantial than cramp and he resumed his innings just under an hour later, going to stumps 23 runs short of a first Test century since the 2023 Ashes. Pope admitted Stokes' significant workload might be catching up with him, with the 34-year-old having sent down 129 overs – the most he has ever bowled in a series with one-and-a-half Tests still to go. 'I think he's OK,' Pope said. 'It was just cramping down his leg and it managed to spread to his whole leg. Probably just a build-up of the amount he's pushed his body over the last four or five weeks. 'He's pushed himself to some serious limits so far and probably that was just a build-up of it but he'll be good to go with bat and ball.' Joe Root's 150 and Pope's 71 helped England close on 544 for seven and a significant lead of 186, and they are firm favourites to move into an unassailable 3-1 series lead over the next two days. But there would have been bated breath at Emirates Old Trafford when Stokes was visibly struggling with the same leg where he had major surgery at the turn of the year. Stokes has dispelled doubts about his fitness against India, sending down taxing nine and 10-over spells at Lord's while he is the leading wicket-taker in the series with 16 at an average of 24.75. England vice-captain Pope admitted he has a job trying to prise the ball from Stokes' hands. 'Everyone knows what a competitor he is and the lengths he's prepared to push his body to get the job in hand done,' Pope added. 'This has been a series so far where we've had to push and push to get the results in the two games we've won and he's been a massive part with bat and especially ball. 'That's something he's willing to risk. As his vice-captain, I'm there to give him a nudge but he also gets this crazy look in his eye sometimes when you go over. 'Rooty plays a similar role but there's times when you can't take the ball off him. He gets his vision and that's what makes him such a great cricketer. The way he does that drags the other bowlers along.'
