"Technology got it wrong" - Ben Stokes' verdict on Zak Crawley's controversial lbw dismissal

England captain Ben Stokes claimed that there was a technological glitch or a deliberate blunder made by the TV umpire when the Indians went for a Decision Review System to challenge Zak Crawley’s lbw attempt when Kuldeep Yadav was bowling the 42nd over.

Ben Stokes made this claim while speaking to the media after England’s heavy 106-run loss in the 2nd Test at Vishakhapatnam’s ACA-VDCA stadium. The English contingent were bundled out for 292 while trying to chase down a mammoth total of 399 in a crack-filled 4th-day track in Vizag, which was relatively easier to bat than it was in Hyderabad.

England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley had given the visitors a good start before the latter departed for 28 off Ravichandran Ashwin’s delivery. Crawley kept his form intact from the 2nd innings where he scored a quickfire 76 off 78 in a true Bazball manner.

His 2nd inning knock included 7 fours and 2 sixes and he batted at a strike rate of over 90 throughout. After his dismissal, only Ben Stokes played out a notable knock of 47 with England getting all out for 293 in response to India’s 396 in the 1st innings.

In the 3rd innings after getting early wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma, England saw the sheer class of Shubman Gill who scored his first-ever Test century from the number 3 position which was also his first Test ton in 12 innings.

Gill could have carried on had he not decided to play a reverse sweep off debutant Shoaib Bashir who named the former’s wicket for 104 off 149. Then Axar Patel’s 45 and Ashwin’s 29 helped India set up 399 as the target to chase down and win.

Following Duckett’s wicket, Zak Crawley was raging with his Gray Nicolls blade, stepping out against the spinners and playing all kinds of shots before the controversial moment occurred. In the final ball of the 42nd over, Kuldeep Yadav had bowled an orthodox Chinaman delivery which angled inside Crawley after pitching and struck his front foot pad.

As the Indians went all in with the appeal, the umpire denied any chances of an out but the belief was real in Kuldeep’s heart who was caught on camera saying, “It’s close”. Rohit Sharma went for the referral and the ball tracking showed something none of us were expecting.

In the original clip, one can clearly see that Kuldeep’s stock delivery was going inside Zak Crawley and missed the leg stump by a margin. However, the ball tracking showed the ball didn’t spin at all and went straight into the leg stump.

“Technology Got It Wrong On This Occasion”, Ben Stokes Opines On Zak Crawley’s Dismissal

“Technology in the game is obviously there. Everyone has an understanding of the reasons it can never be 100% which is why we have the umpire’s call. That’s why it’s in place. When it’s not 100% as everyone says, I don’t think it’s unfair for someone to say ‘I think the technology has got it wrong on this occasion’,” Stokes said after the 106-run loss.

“And that is my personal opinion. I will say that. But in a game full of ifs, buts and maybes, I am not going to say that the reason why we haven’t got the result we wanted. I’m just saying my personal opinion is that the technology has gone wrong on this occasion, and I think that’s fair to say.

Review…..successful! ✅☝️

Kuldeep Yadav picks up the big wicket of Crawley to keep #TeamIndia in the driving seat 👊⚡️#BazBowled #IDFCFirstBankTestsSeries #JioCinemaSports#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/c4hMunPVSP

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) February 5, 2024

That’s what an agitated Ben Stokes claimed after the match and he knew himself that if Zak Crawley had stuck to the crease the result would have been different. But nonetheless, Stokes did not blame his players for the loss, instead backed them through the tough loss, just like a good captain does.

“Another great game to be a part of. There’s no suggestion whatsoever about how to play. Everyone in the dressing room is a quality player. They are good enough to go out there and assess the conditions, and decide how to go about it.” – Ben Stokes said to Harsha Bhogle in post match presentation.