"Ben Stokes was a kid.."- Brad Haddin slams Michal Atherton for his outrageous claim

Brad Haddin strongly reacted to Michael Atherton’s comments about an incident involving him and Ben Stokes during the 2013 Ashes series. Brad Haddin described Michael Atherton’s tribute to Ben Stokes, who is playing his 100th Test match for England, as a ‘love letter’.

Ben Stokes has joined an elite group of English cricketers, becoming the 16th player from England to achieve the milestone of 100 Test appearances. Stokes’ milestone places him among the elite company, alongside current England stalwarts James Anderson and Joe Root.

In his column for The Telegraph UK, Mike Atherton recounted an alleged confrontation between Brad Haddin and Ben Stokes during the Ashes Test match in 2013. Atherton said that Haddin attempted to provoke Stokes but quickly realized the all-rounder’s resilience.

Ben Stokes Got The Better Of Me – Brad Haddin

Speaking on the Willow Talk podcast, Brad Haddin denied Michael Atherton’s statement about the incident. Haddin dismissed the notion that he was intimidated by Stokes, claiming that he and his teammates were not fazed by the young cricketer.

“My response is I’ve never heard more crap in my life What, we were meant to be intimidated by Ben Stokes? I’ll tell you what did happen. There was a confrontation mid-wicket and we started it. There was a plan, if you see in your moment, maybe you can niggle him enough. Anyway, he got the better of me. He nicked me off for 50 (but it was a) no ball. So I’ve walked back in and as I’ve walked past Ben Stokes I congratulated him on his first Test wicket,” Haddin said.

“So I found my opening. He’s blown up, he’s blowing and I’m going back at him. It was quite amusing. Matt [Prior] didn’t say a word. For him and Jimmy Anderson to say we were what, intimated by Ben Stokes. What was he going to do? He was a kid playing a Test match. Well, they didn’t get their facts right there,” he added.

During the Adelaide Test, Brad Haddin scored 93 runs in the first innings. He was fortunate when Stokes dismissed him off a no-ball while he was on 51. Haddin played a pivotal role in Australia’s 5-0 series win, scoring 493 runs in the Ashes series on home soil.

During the same series, the current England Test captain achieved his first Test century in Perth. The left-handed batter has scored 6251 runs in Tests at an average of 36.34, including 13 centuries and 31 fifties. He also contributed with the ball, taking 197 wickets.

England clinched victory in the first Test against India with a convincing margin of 28 runs. However, India bounced back in Visakhapatnam, securing a win to level the series. Ben Stokes aims to guide England to success in the pivotal third match of the five-match series, which currently stands at 1-1.

Also read: “An Aggressive Attack On David Warner’s Personality” – Brad Haddin Lashes Out At Mitchell Johnson