A heated exchange erupted between England and India at Lord’s cricket ground on Saturday when England opener Zak Crawley’s apparent time-wasting tactics prevented India from bowling their final over of the day. The incident occurred after India was dismissed for 387, matching England’s first-innings total in the third Test match.The controversy began when Crawley repeatedly stepped away from his batting stance and called for medical attention after minimal contact with his glove, allowing only six deliveries from Jasprit Bumrah before stumps.The situation escalated when Indian captain Shubman Gill directed angry words at Crawley, which went viral on social media. “Show some fu*g b**s,” yelled Gill as the right-hander did all he could to deny India an over from the pavilion end, prompting Sky Sports to issue an on-air apology. Both players pointed fingers at each other, with England’s Ben Duckett joining the confrontation.“I’m not sure what they were complaining about when Gill was lying down getting a massage in the middle of the day yesterday,” said Tim Southee, England’s bowling consultant, who pointed out similar delays from India’s side, including Washington Sundar’s apparent comfort break during batting.
When questioned about Crawley’s condition, Southee responded: “He’ll be assessed overnight. Hopefully he’ll be alright to carry on tomorrow.”Indian opener KL Rahul, who achieved his tenth Test century and second at Lord’s, expressed his understanding of the situation. “Two overs is a no-brainer with six minutes to go,” he said. “But it was a bit of theatrics at the end. I know exactly what was going on; everyone knows exactly what was going on. But an opening batter will understand completely what happened in the last five minutes.”
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Former England captain Michael Vaughan, now a BBC pundit, commented on the incident: “It’s as good a piece of time-wasting as I’ve ever seen. India can’t complain because yesterday Gill was down with the hamstring strain… But what great drama and what a great day.”The match situation remained level after India matched England’s first-innings total of 387, setting up an intriguing contest for the remaining days of the third Test.
