Former England cricketers Nasser Hussain and Stuart Broad lashed out at the match officials for calling early stumps on Day 4 of IND vs ENG 5th Test. Play was stopped due to bad light at 5.32 PM (local time) and subsequently a heavy shower followed as the players walked off the ground. However, despite the rain stopping by 5.50 PM (local time) and a possibility of game resuming with ample time left, the match officials had a word with both teams and decided to call it stumps early.
Broad, Hussain unhappy with early stumps on Day 4
Speaking on commentary on Sky Sports, Hussain hit out at the decision, noting that the spectators had paid a lot of money to watch the contest come to an end. He had said that since it had stopped raining, there was enough time for the ground staff to commence the process to resume the game by getting the super soppers out.
“Everyone in this ground has played a lot of money and it has stopped raining, get on with the process. Get the super-sopper out there. There is around 40 minutes, so try as hard as you can to get out there,” said Hussain.
Broad took to social media platform X to express his disappointment over the decision. He dubbed the call to end play early as a “lazy decision”. He said that the fans were let down as they were expecting an end to the nail-biting match on the same day.
As per Sky Sports, the ground staff reportedly told the umpires at 6.03 PM (local time) that they would be unable to get the surface ready by 6.42 PM (local time) – the deadline for restart of play.
England need just 35 runs to win the IND vs ENG 5th Test and seal the series 3-1. With four wickets left in hand and Chris Woakes set to bat despite a shoulder injury, defeat seems inevitable for India. However, it is the fresh set of spectators who have tickets to The Oval on Day 5 who will be able to witness the result of the game instead of the fans who spent the entire day on Day 4 but were deprived of the opportunity. Surey Cricket took to social media platform X to inform that Day 5 had already been sold out.
What happened on Day 4?
As the Day 4 closed, England posted 339/6 with Jamie Overton and Jamie Smith on the crease. But it’s good news for Team India as the bowlers will get some rest before they charge in again for the last four wickets. Harry Brook and Joe Root’s 195-run stand kept England on track for a record chase at the Oval. While Brook departed for 111, Root held steady.
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