Akash Deep and Ben Duckett made up with a hug on day three.
An unnecessarily enthusiastic send-off was one of the most contentious moments of Day 2 at The Oval, rather than anything that happened with bat or ball. When India's Akash Deep removed Ben Duckett during England's innings in the fifth Test, he celebrated by putting an arm around the batter's shoulder, grinning, and murmuring a few things.
It started when Duckett attempted to frighten the young Indian quickly with a supposedly entertaining 43 off 38 balls, driven by Bazball, and said, "You cannot get me out in here." The crowd was delighted as the opener proceeded with a cheeky reverse ramp.
But quickly, the roles were reversed. Dhruv Jurel had Duckett caught behind by Akash Deep, who then gave him a showy farewell, complete with shoulder grip and fist pump.
While the moment seemed playful to some, former cricketers Michael Atherton and Ravi Shastri didn’t see it that way.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Atherton was blunt in his disapproval: “Can you imagine doing that to Viv Richards or any number? I would have hated that. If a bowler puts his arms around me, having just dismissed me—stay out of the way.”
Shastri, offering a cheeky quip in return, added, “If Athers had put his hand around me getting me out, I’d have said, ‘Get out of the way! No, no physical contact. Because of what it can lead to. I mean, Duckett at that moment in time might have been thinking something else. Another player with a feisty temperament wouldn't have liked it and could have done something that he would have regretted. Just because it's being watched by millions around the globe and the match referee will be forced to take action because of the rules and the rulebook."
Cricket is a non-contact sport; thus, boundaries must be maintained, even though on-field fervor is acceptable, Atherton continued.
"It's a serious point actually that, as I say, it seemed good-natured, and I like to give cricketers maximum leeway on the field because it is an emotional, passionate game. I like to see them getting stuck in. I don't like the match referees getting involved, but it's a non-contact sport, and something like that will end in problems. So I think the match referee has to stamp that out," Atherton elaborated.
The moment between Akash and Duckett was seemingly done in the heat of the moment. This was evident on day three, as when Akash Deep came out to resume his innings, alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, he approached Ben Duckett and jokingly put his arm on his shoulder, and the two shared a smile about the incident
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