New Delhi: English cricketer Ben Stokes went speechless at a presser in Pakistan after he failed to comprehend a local journalist’s question about the Rawalpindi pitch ahead of the third Test match between England and Pakistan. But fans are not convinced. They think “Stokes Pa ji was overreacting”.
As the England captain prepared to talk about his team’s performance, the reporter found it challenging to frame a question regarding England’s impressive 823-run total from the first Test in Multan. He asked if Stokes thought his team could achieve a similar feat in the upcoming third Test.
The journalist was referring to the Test match in October, where after Pakistan posted 556 runs in their first innings, England declared at 823 runs for seven and racked up the 4th highest total ever and second-highest team total in Test cricket.
The journalist introduced himself as a reporter from Islamabad and asked Stokes his expectations from the ongoing match. His question was about England’s impressive 823 runs in the first Test at Multan, particularly asking if Stokes thought his team could achieve a similar result in the upcoming third Test, given that the pitch appeared to be a “paradise for batters”.
Stokes, who seemingly struggled to understand the reporter’s language, kept repeating, “Sorry, could you say that again?”
Finally, after the third attempt, Stokes responded saying it would be “very nice” if they could score 800 runs at the Rawalpindi pitch again. Pakistanis refuse to see an issue with the reporter’s speaking skills and believe Stokes was overreacting. Others were embarrassed by the reporter.
Also read: Cricket–England elect to bat in Rawalpindi decider against Pakistan
“It was stupid but quite clear that Stokes paji is overreacting as usual,” one X user wrote.
Another had a question: “Why is he the English captain if he can’t even understand English?”
Pakistanis refused to let the English have the last laugh. One X user said, “Ben Stokes is me trying to understand the British English accent.”
Others had better ideas. One X user said, “Wrong reporter. They should have got @chandnawab,” referring to the famous Pakistani journalist portrayed by Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015).
The Rawalpindi test
Pakistan cricket team has kept their squad spin-heavy for the series-deciding third Test against England, starting Thursday, as both teams expect another dry pitch favouring slow bowlers.
Groundskeepers at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium have been working for four days to dry the surface using industrial fans and outdoor heaters, aiming to replicate their spin-led success in Multan, which marked their first home win since 2021, Dawn reported.
With the three-match Test series tied at 1-1, and the crucial third match ongoing today, Pakistan looks forward to a series win. The Pakistani team has performed poorly in all formats in the past year, losing 2-0 in a home Test series to Bangladesh and crashing out of the ICC ODI and T20 World Cups in the first rounds.