Ben Stokes Apologizes for His Outburst

England captain Ben Stokes has issued an apology to his team following a moment of frustration during the third evening of the second Test against Pakistan in Multan. As England found themselves losing their grip on the match due to dropped catches and fielding errors, Stokes admitted to losing his composure during a critical phase of Pakistan’s second innings.

Returning to the squad after a nine-week absence due to a hamstring injury, Stokes described himself as feeling like a “tired and grumpy old man” as he let his emotions spill over while Brydon Carse was bowling. Carse had just dismissed Mohammad Rizwan, offering England a glimmer of hope to restrict Pakistan to under 150 runs in their second innings. However, two dropped catches within three balls—first by Jamie Smith off Salman Agha and then by Joe Root—shifted the match’s momentum. Salman went on to score a crucial 63 runs off 89 balls, further distancing the game from the visitors’ reach.

Stokes expressed his frustration when Jack Leach fumbled shortly afterward, which prompted a rare display of emotion from the usually composed captain. “I apologized to the group last night,” Stokes said. “It’s the first time in my captaincy that I let my emotions show like that. No one means to drop catches, and it’s just a reminder of how important they are, especially in these conditions. I was tired and grumpy, but it won’t happen again.”

England’s head coach, Brendon McCullum, came to Stokes’s defense, suggesting that the captain’s reaction was more about the rhythm of the game rather than anger directed at his players.

The English team will have an opportunity to redeem themselves when they face Pakistan in the deciding Test starting October 24.