Ever the instigated
By Dean Wilson
England coach Bayliss feels Stokes’s opponents leave no chance to provoke him and exploit his short fuse.
England boss Trevor Bayliss has told the ICC to lay off his man Ben Stokes (left) or they will soon make cricket too boring and sterile for fans to watch.
Stokes had been given a send-off as teams around the world try to wind him and his short fuse up in the heat of battle.
And Bayliss believes the ICC have got to give the players a little bit of leeway with their emotions or the game will lose its characters and its personalities in a bid for safe, sweet and innocent cricket.
“I think he’s improving,” said Bayliss, when asked about the possibility of Stokes receiving a ban in future. “I think at times ICC are almost looking for things.
“I agree that things have been out of hand in the past, and we don’t want it to go overboard. But sometimes a little bit of by-play between a couple of guys on either side – who are passionate about their cricket and their team – I think it’s good for the game. We’ve just got to be careful about what happens if we completely cut that out. I think having some personalities in the game is fantastic to watch. I think it’s part of the game.”
Bayliss had some sympathy with Stokes, who has had run-ins with Shakib-al-Hasan of Bangladesh and Marlon Samuels of the West Indies in the last year.
There were frustrations in the England camp that Kohli managed to get away unscathed for his part in the spat, although perhaps he showed his streetwise skills.
Stokes has become a clear target for teams and his coach reckons he could do with becoming a bit smarter in the way he copes, especially since he is such a key member of the team who is delivering more and more.
“I think the send-off was probably the way it was,” added Bayliss. “But he’s got to learn to deal with it in a different way, or get away with it a bit better. I think he’s come a long way in the last 12 months or so and I’m sure he’ll keep improving in that area. He just doesn’t stop. He’s like a wind-up clock. Some of us are in awe of what he does. You get him off at the break, wind him up and send him back out. I don’t know who was the last overseas player to score a hundred and take a five-for in a Test series over here – especially a pace bowler. That wouldn’t have been done too many times – that’s a feather in his cap.” — DAILY MIRROR
Stokesthefire
► Had a run-in with Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal during the post-match handshakes. Iqbal allegedly dropped his shoulder into England’s Jonny Bairstow.
► He had reportedly refused to acknowledge Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) XI batsman Abdul Mazid in a tour match.
► Became the first England player to be declared obstructing the field in an ODI, at the Lord’s against Australia.
► Was charged with using objectionable language on the field of play during the first day of the Mohali Test following a heated exchange with Virat Kohli. When Kohli was dismissed, Stokes immediately sealed his mouth in a gesture directly aimed at India’s Test captain. When R Ashwin claimed Stokes, Kohli replicated the gesture with a finger on his lips (picture top left).
England coach Bayliss feels Stokes’s opponents leave no chance to provoke him and exploit his short fuse.
England boss Trevor Bayliss has told the ICC to lay off his man Ben Stokes (left) or they will soon make cricket too boring and sterile for fans to watch.
Bayliss felt the need to speak out on Stokes’ behalf after he was reprimanded and handed another demerit point for his verbal clash with Virat Kohli in Mohali.
Stokes had been given a send-off as teams around the world try to wind him and his short fuse up in the heat of battle.
And Bayliss believes the ICC have got to give the players a little bit of leeway with their emotions or the game will lose its characters and its personalities in a bid for safe, sweet and innocent cricket.
“I think he’s improving,” said Bayliss, when asked about the possibility of Stokes receiving a ban in future. “I think at times ICC are almost looking for things.
“I agree that things have been out of hand in the past, and we don’t want it to go overboard. But sometimes a little bit of by-play between a couple of guys on either side – who are passionate about their cricket and their team – I think it’s good for the game. We’ve just got to be careful about what happens if we completely cut that out. I think having some personalities in the game is fantastic to watch. I think it’s part of the game.”
Bayliss had some sympathy with Stokes, who has had run-ins with Shakib-al-Hasan of Bangladesh and Marlon Samuels of the West Indies in the last year.
There were frustrations in the England camp that Kohli managed to get away unscathed for his part in the spat, although perhaps he showed his streetwise skills.
Stokes has become a clear target for teams and his coach reckons he could do with becoming a bit smarter in the way he copes, especially since he is such a key member of the team who is delivering more and more.
“I think the send-off was probably the way it was,” added Bayliss. “But he’s got to learn to deal with it in a different way, or get away with it a bit better. I think he’s come a long way in the last 12 months or so and I’m sure he’ll keep improving in that area. He just doesn’t stop. He’s like a wind-up clock. Some of us are in awe of what he does. You get him off at the break, wind him up and send him back out. I don’t know who was the last overseas player to score a hundred and take a five-for in a Test series over here – especially a pace bowler. That wouldn’t have been done too many times – that’s a feather in his cap.” — DAILY MIRROR
Stokesthefire
► Had a run-in with Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal during the post-match handshakes. Iqbal allegedly dropped his shoulder into England’s Jonny Bairstow.
► He had reportedly refused to acknowledge Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) XI batsman Abdul Mazid in a tour match.
► Became the first England player to be declared obstructing the field in an ODI, at the Lord’s against Australia.
► Was charged with using objectionable language on the field of play during the first day of the Mohali Test following a heated exchange with Virat Kohli. When Kohli was dismissed, Stokes immediately sealed his mouth in a gesture directly aimed at India’s Test captain. When R Ashwin claimed Stokes, Kohli replicated the gesture with a finger on his lips (picture top left).
