England let 20 minutes of petulance undo all feel-good vibes, and for that they need to have a good look in the mirror.
England must look into the mirror after unfortunate Baz-bawl antics.
With time on their side, you wonder if any England players are disappointed by how the fourth Test ended at Old Trafford.
Some may concede that they would have enjoyed the chance to obtain them if they had been out there so near to centuries. Ben Stokes may acknowledge that the additional runs Washington Sundar took out at the beginning of the last hour did matter after celebrating his 14th Test century in the same game, which obviously meant a lot to him.
More than anything, you wonder if England regrets their appearance. Because a team that had often played cricket with joy appeared irate, threatening to take their ball home and swore that this was no longer enjoyable or acceptable to them.
The videos of Stokes and Harry Brook shaking hands phantom-style have been widely shared on social media. They will undoubtedly have learnt about the Australian perspective by the time they get up on Monday morning, and they were correct in their assessments except from misinterpreting what a “moral victory” entails. England made a huge mistake here.
Of course, this has nothing to do with Australia. It’s not really about India either. The England team is now in more familiar waters as a result of their conduct.
There is always a “Anyone But England” campaign. However, many members of the team will never have encountered it on this magnitude. They will receive some criticism from the stands this week, and their Instagram comments are currently flooded with insults. The finale at the Oval is sold out for all five days. A typical Thursday start and a London Test will guarantee a huge Indian presence.
The fact that a high-profile India series is taking up as many column inches as the 20th anniversary of the 2005 Ashes indicates that cricket hasn’t had this position in the past. The calibre of many of the main characters increased the scope of that accomplishment. However, some people still perceive England’s best Test team from the 2010s, who won in Australia and rose to the top of the world rankings, as a haughty, unlikable group, which is further supported by the manner they disintegrated.
The current iteration began when England was a horrible mix of easily ignorable and Nineties dreadful. And a group of players having so much fun that they attracted attention was crucial to the improvement in results.
They were crowding into kebab shops early in the morning and dominating fourth-inning chases that summer of 2022. They created such a fevourish mood even on the first day of the 2023 Ashes that people were hugging in the Hollies Stand when they announced the decision on day one at Edgbaston, a decision that becomes worse every day.
When faced with the improbable aim of 608 in the second Test match against India a few weeks ago, England supporters stood up on the penultimate night as a drunken but unadulterated version of “stand up if you still believe” reverberated throughout Edgbaston. It is nearly uncommon of to have such unquestioning faith in an England Test team.
Sunday might have demonstrated how deeply rooted the impetuous public outbursts of the past few years are. They came seen as out of touch after claiming that they thought they were too kind in a test.
The series had been rather friendly, until for that night. Consolations for Mohammed Siraj at Lord’s after he protected Shoaib Bashir onto his leg stump were sincere, even after a verbose climax.
After his heroic 54 with a fractured toe, Brydon Carse went straight for Rishabh Pant, giving the keeper-batter a fist bump for his bravery. On the last day in Manchester, Shubman Gill had to wave away several worried fielders after being hit by a rising length ball from Stokes.
All of this does not justify England’s actions. Furthermore, it has little bearing on how they will be seen. Their cards have been remarked, whether they like it or not.
A more cautious approach will be used for the final Test and into the winter as a result of the response during the past 48 hours. The management of England will probably prepare for media appearances by avoiding any statements or actions that might exacerbate the Ashes fire they will be entering in November.
England has put in a lot of effort to get to this stage of their development and even more to lead India 2-1 going into the summer’s last Test match. They are still in charge of their first series victory over India and their first in a five-match series in seven years. In contrast, the reputational harm caused by those 20 misguided minutes cannot be repaired.