England ready to ‘get stuck in' again after Lord's clashes
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.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
12 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Ollie Pope insists Ben Stokes can contribute fully as all-rounder after cramp
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. Fifty up for the England captain 🏴 Batted, Stokesy 👊 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 25, 2025 '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.'
North Wales Chronicle
12 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Ollie Pope insists Ben Stokes can contribute fully as all-rounder after cramp
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. Fifty up for the England captain 🏴 Batted, Stokesy 👊 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 25, 2025 '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. Batters' day out at Old Trafford 📸#WTC27 | #ENGvIND 👉 — ICC (@ICC) July 25, 2025 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.'
North Wales Chronicle
12 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Joe Root goes second on Test run-scorer list as England take charge versus India
Root put Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis in his rear-view mirror before following up a 38th Test ton by reaching 120 to eclipse Ricky Ponting's tally of 13,378 runs on day three of the fourth Rothesay Test. Only Sachin Tendulkar's near-sacred haul of 15,921 runs is in front of Root, who closed to within 2,512 after an innings that formed the backbone of England's 544 for seven and a significant lead of 186. A day that will live long in the memory… Joe Root – history maker 🐐 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 25, 2025 Ben Stokes retiring hurt after going to his first fifty of 2025 may have put a dampener on proceedings at Emirates Old Trafford but he re-emerged before the close, having dealt with cramp in his left leg. Root therefore kept top billing, sharing stands of 144 alongside Ollie Pope, who contributed 71, and 142 with Stokes, who went to stumps on 77 not out, to build on the foundations laid by Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett the day before. England are firm favourites to claim an unassailable 3-1 series lead this weekend and not even a late cluster of wickets could disguise a bad day for the tourists. It might have turned out differently had Ravindra Jadeja thrown down the stumps from backward point when Root was on 22 after England resumed on 225 for two in response to India's 358. Some miscommunication with Pope left Root haring to get to the non-striker's end after a push into the off-side but he was not in the frame as the ball whizzed harmlessly by. Pope and Root were otherwise in sync running between the wickets, which drove India to distraction, Indeed Root's nudges in front of and behind point took him to 30 then 31, going past Dravid and Kallis. A 104th 50-plus Test score – only Tendulkar has more – followed, by which time Pope also had a half-century. He was put down on 48 by substitute wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, standing up to the stumps as he attempted to combat England's number three from advancing to Anshul Kamboj. With India short of ideas, Washington Sundar was belatedly introduced in the 69th over and he made the breakthrough after lunch, finding a hint of drift which Pope pushed at and edged to a lone slip. India elected against taking the second new ball when it was due after 80 overs and had another breakthrough immediately when Harry Brook was drawn out of his crease by Sundar and stumped for three. But Root, regarded as one of the world's best players of spin, was unflustered by Sundar and Jadeja twirling away and he was in the 90s and England in the lead when India took the new ball after 90.2 overs. Mohammed Siraj hit Root's pad on 98 and the ball dribbled past leg stump, before the former England captain moved joint fourth on the list of Test centurions, equalling Kumar Sangakkara, when glancing fine for his 12th four off Kamboj, operating at the other end with Jasprit Bumrah off the field. After reaching his 25th Test hundred since turning 30 four-and-a-half years ago, Root opened his blade and ran the popgun Kamboj into the offside for a single to go past Ponting on the stroke of the tea interval. England's lead stretched into three figures and beyond after the break with Root totally at ease although Stokes appeared increasingly discomforted, furiously stretching his left leg before walking off the field on 66. He did not appear to be limping as he headed towards the pavilion and England confirmed it was nothing more substantial than cramp. Root's excellent knock ended when he overbalanced attempting to defend against Jadeja and was undone by drift and turn past the edge, with Jurel whipping off the bails for a second stumping. Jamie Smith and Chris Woakes came and went without much fanfare, prompting Stokes to re-enter the fray. He did not appear unduly untroubled as he and Liam Dawson, who went to the close on 21 not out in his first Test innings in eight years to add ballast to the lower order, negotiated the final few overs.
