England’s captain Ben Strokes controversial take on Zak Crawley’s LBW in Vizag Test

England’s captain Ben Stokes believes that DRS got the LBW decision against Zak Crawley on Monday. He feels that Crawley’s dismissal in the second innings of the Vizag Test was a moment where technology got the decision wrong.

Crawley’s dismissal in the second innings of the Test against India became a focal point of controversy. The England opener was batting confidently at 73 runs from 132 balls, anchoring England’s chase of a formidable target of 399 runs.

However, his promising innings were abruptly halted by a contentious LBW decision involving Kuldeep Yadav’s delivery. Initially ruled not out by the on-field umpire, the decision was overturned after India’s review showed the ball track to hit the stumps, much to the astonishment of fans and commentators who believed the impact appeared outside the leg-stump.

Review…..successful! ✅☝️

Kuldeep Yadav picks up the big wicket of Crawley to keep #TeamIndia in the driving seat 👊⚡️#BazBowled #IDFCFirstBankTestsSeries #JioCinemaSports#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/c4hMunPVSP

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) February 5, 2024

The review was successful for the Indian team and it opened the gate for more wickets. England struggled to find a partnership following the dismissal of Crawley as Jasprit Bumrah and A Ashwin picked up 3 wickets each to seal the 106-run win for India.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Stokes was questioned about the matter and claimed that it was the wrong call which was made at the end of the day.

“My personal opinion is that the technology has gone wrong on this occasion. That’s where I stand on it,” the England captain said when questioned about the decision.

“Technology in the game is there and everyone has an understanding of the reasons it can never be 100 per cent. That’s why we have the ‘umpire’s call’, that’s why it’s in place.”

“So when it’s not 100 per cent, I don’t think it’s unfair for someone to say ‘I think the technology has got it wrong’. I will say that, but in a game full of ifs, buts and maybes I am not going to say that’s the reason why we haven’t got the result we wanted.

“You can’t do much with things that have been and gone. You can’t overturn a decision that has been made.”

India and England will now play the third Test in Rajkot, which will start from February 15.

IND vs ENG Second Test Day 4: Huge Controversy in Vizag Test! R Ashwin Wicket of Tom Hartley Survives After DRS Decision