Under-fire Ben Stokes gets backing from Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott: 'Very easy to have a pop at him'

Former England batting greats Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott have come out in support of embattled Ben Stokes as the England captain faces accusations of behaving like a “spoiled kid” over his outburst after India declined his offer for a draw on Sunday in the Manchester Test. Stokes offered a handshake to Ravindra Jadeja with 15 overs left in Day 5’s play as a draw looked like the only possibility in the match, but the Indian all-rounder, who was batting on 89, declined the handshake.

Soon after, Jadeja went on to hit his fifth Test hundred as Washington Sundar completed his maiden century . India eventually agreed to a draw after both player completed their milestones.

Later, Stokes defended his decision by claiming that he didn’t want his bowlers to suffer any injury , but faced criticism from former cricketers, including Nasser Hussain, who called out Harry Brook’s “silly” bowling.

Pietersen, Trott speak in support of Stokes

But Stokes has also found some support from former England cricketers, including Pietersen and Trott. Pietersen wrote on social media that Stokes should be allowed to display his emotion and was well within his rights as the team had toiled hard in the field and a result was not possible.

“2 days fielding and no result on the cards - you WANT to get off the field! You cannot have a pop at Ben Stokes for his frustration. Very easy to have a pop at him when you’re sitting in your lounge watching. You’re NOT in the battle. Leave the men in the ring to be emotional,” Pietersen wrote on X.

Trott said that Stokes offering a draw when two batters were nearing a hundred is a normal tradition in England when a draw becomes the most likely outcome of a match.

“I am not sure if it was necessary, but the common practice — certainly here in England — is that if you’re offered the opportunity to finish the game early, it’s usually more about the game situation than personal milestones. From Ben Stokes’ perspective, no personal milestone comes ahead of the team’s goal. In this case, India’s goal was to secure a draw, and they achieved that,” Trott said on JioHotstar.

“So for England, the expectation was that India would shake hands and walk off with 80 not out — that would normally suffice. But I can also understand the other side. For someone like Washington Sundar, who has batted so well, giving up the chance to score a debut hundred is not easy. You never know when another opportunity will come. So, I understand both viewpoints. England are probably a little frustrated but that’s natural. What this does, though, is set things up nicely for the next Test. It’s going to be spicy, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Catch Day 1 of the fifth Test of India’s tour of England on 31st July, live from 3:30 PM, on JioHotstar.