Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik took the opportunity to troll the Australian cricket team after England all-rounder Ben Stokes remained unbeaten in spite of getting ‘bowled’. In the 31st over of the England innings, all-rounder Cameron Green bowled a full-pitched delivery which Stokes decided to leave. The ball took a deflection and Australians appealed and Stokes was given out LBW by the on-field umpire.


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However, Stokes immediately reviewed the decision and replays justified his decision. The ball was nowhere near his pads, in fact the deflection came from the ball cannoning into the off-stump but inexplicably the bails didn’t dislodge and Stokes lived to fight another day.


After seeing the replay on the big screen, Stokes couldn’t stop laughing even as the Australian players put their hands on their head in utter disbelief. “Should a law be introduced called ‘hitting the stumps’ after the ball has hit them but not dislodged the bails? What do you think guys? Let’s be fair to bowlers! @shanewarne,” Tendulkar tweeted.


Watch the video here in Tendulkar’s tweet…



While Dinesh Karthik wrote, “When you're confident about your off stump and your off stump is confident about you”.


Stokes and Jonny Bairstow battled through the second session to steady England’s innings after a fiery third morning of the fourth Ashes Test on Friday (January 7), taking the tourists to 135/4 at tea in reply to Australia’s 416-8 declared.


All-rounder Stokes enjoyed a major stroke of luck on 16 when a Cameroon Green delivery thumped into his leg stump but failed to shift the bail and he survived to help put on 99 for the fifth wicket. Stokes reached his 25th half century just before the break and will resume on 52 not out, his highest score of the series, with Bairstow unbeaten on 45.


It was quite a recovery after a breathless morning session that was delayed for two hours by drizzle but burst into life in a fiery storm of pacebowling from the Australian attack. England lost openers Haseeb Hameed and Zak Crawley, skipper Joe Root and Dawid Malan cheaply before lunch, the last three without a single run being added to their tally of 36.


Mitchell Starc removed Hameed for six to start the collapse but the most damage was done when Scott Boland picked up where he left off in the third test in Melbourne. Boland took six for seven on debut as England were skittled for 68 in their second innings at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, giving Australia an innings and 14-run victory for an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.


England were trying to be cautious but 53 balls without scoring only increased the pressure on them and Green brought up lunch when he had Dawid Malan caught off the glove in the slips by Usman Khawaja for three. Boland finished the opening session with figures of 2-0 from four maiden overs and it was not until after lunch that he finally conceded his first run.


(with Reuters inputs)