- England Denies Australia Post-Match Refreshments After Ashes Test
- Ricky Ponting Calls for Investigation into England’s Ball Replacement
- Khawaja Claims Ball Replacement Altered Game’s Outcome in Ashes Test
After day five of the Ashes competition at the Oval, England didn’t ask Australia for post-match refreshments, surprising them.
After the game, Australian players were observed peering into the home team’s dressing rooms. Before eventually giving up and departing the field at approximately 10:45 p.m., shortly before England emerged.
International cricket players traditionally gather for post-series drinks after family and business duties.
Australia’s 49-run failure to England at the Oval on Monday night prevented them from advancing. The English sheds were locked when Australian players requested admittance.
Since then, England’s captain, Ben Stokes, has stated that the team was delayed by lengthy retirement presentations in the dressing room and that they had anticipated drinking with Australia.
England coach Brendon McCullum threatened to boycott beverages early in the series after Jonny Bairstow’s controversial dismissal at Lord’s.
In recent Tests, tensions appeared to have diminished between the two teams, and Stokes indicated on Monday evening that relations with Australian players had been cordial, with minimal sledding.
Sincerely, this is the progression of franchise cricket, stated Stokes. Many players have links with the opposition, including England, Australia, and other countries.
Ricky Ponting wants a probe into why England received a dazzling replacement ball during a crucial stage of the fifth Ashes Test.
England persuaded the umpires to substitute their ball late on the fourth day when it struck Usman Khawaja in the head. Which proved to be a pivotal moment in Australia’s 49-run loss.
If a cricket ball is damaged or malformed, umpires must find one that “has had wear comparable” to it.
England received a Duke’s ball with shinier writing after handing up an old ball.
38 percent of balls beat the edge or misled in the next 10 overs, compared to 16 percent with the old ball.
During this time, Australia also lost David Warner and Khawaja to Chris Woakes early on the fifth day, which ultimately harmed the tourists as they went from 0-140 to all out for 334 and the series was tied at 2-2.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting stated, “There is no way you can look at those two balls and say they are comparable in any way.”
“I cannot fathom how two international umpires who have performed this task numerous times can get it so wrong,” he said. This is a pivotal juncture in the game. It is a major error that requires investigation.”
Khawaja said he alerted umpire Kumar Dharmasena and believed it had changed the game.
“The most important factor was the ball,” he told the Nine Network. “After they replaced the ball, the first over… I immediately recognized that this orb is distinctive.
It was disheartening for us because I believed we had a stranglehold on the game. But after 90 overs, the ball was still bouncing around corners.”
