Reactions came after a low-scoring encounter between Manchester Originals and Birmingham Phoenix on Sunday (25 July).
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Moeen Ali and Co. were bowled out with just 87 runs on the board, thanks to Manchester-based franchise’s bowler Matthew Parkinson who ran through the Phoenix’s batting unit and picked 4-9.
However, not only fans but also some players were divided by the nature of the pitch. All-rounder Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler is one such example.
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While Stokes was not happy with the pitch at Old Trafford, he made his opinion clear on twitter as he wrote, “What a horrific wicket at Old Trafford”.
What a horrific wicket at Old Trafford ????♂️
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) July 25, 2021
Jos Buttler had a different point of view and contrasting opinion about Old Trafford’s wicket as compared to the southpaw.
Buttler thought that batting on slow wickets are a part and parcel of the game, and made his point clear that, on slow wickets, it is batsman’s responsibility to keep their ego to the side and bat as per the requirement of the situation.
“I am sure the batters will hope for a fresh wicket next game and it's usually pretty good out here. But at times you are going to get wickets like these. As a cricketer at this level, you just got to swallow your ego and find a way to do well,” the 30-year-old was quoted saying by sportscafe.in.
The home team led by skipper Buttler ended up winning the match comfortably with six wickets in hand as wicket-keeper batsman top scored with 30 runs off 31 deliveries to his name.