India vs England: Why Ben Stokes’ move in Manchester missed the spirit of cricket

Ben Stokes surely must have been joking. Did he really expect Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar to walk away without their centuries as the fourth Test meandered towards a draw?

No chance. He knew it. Yet the England captain took a gamble and pushed for an early close at Manchester. No one in their right mind would deny themselves a century.

A Test century is precious. Jadeja was in the nineties and Sundar was approaching his maiden ton. There was no way they were going to miss out on reaching three figures.

As shadows lengthened across Old Trafford on the fifth day, the Test was well and truly buried. India had ensured a draw with gritty efforts from KL Rahul (90) and Shubman Gill (103), followed by Jadeja and Sundar.

After bowling more than 135 overs in the second innings, England’s bowlers must have been exhausted. And with the next Test starting in three days, Stokes understandably wanted to rest them. So he was justified in seeking an early finish — but shouldn’t feel miffed when the request was turned down.

In the end, it cost England just five more overs, bowled mostly by part-timers Harry Brook and Joe Root. It became farcical, with Brook lobbing some full tosses. Jadeja and Sundar got their centuries before the players trudged back to the pavilion.

Would Stokes deny himself a hundred in a similar situation? Unlikely. Very unlikely. Stokes knows the value of a ton, having scored his first Test century in more than two years only the previous day.

He had already stamped his authority on the match with a five-wicket haul and a century. He didn’t need this needless digression. It makes him look like a sore loser — not an image that befits a champion all-rounder.

Former England players Nasser Hussain and Jonathan Trott weren’t amused by Stokes’ antics. No captain can unilaterally call off a match. There’s no law in cricket that says players have to toe the rival captain’s line. So what’s the problem?

What happened to the spirit of the game? Isn’t cricket a gentleman’s game?

Stokes is a fine player and an inspirational leader. He doesn’t need to resort to such cheap tactics. So why do it?