Last Updated on 1 week by Charbel Coorey
England captain Ben Stokes has come in for criticism regarding his comments on the World Test Championship (WTC). On the eve of the first Test against New Zealand in Christchurch, Stokes said he hasn’t given much time to be thinking about the competition as it is a confusing concept.
“I can’t remember if I’ve ever even given any real time to be specifically thinking about the World Test Championship to be honest, because it’s utterly confusing,” Stokes said to reporters.
“We play a lot more cricket than anyone else does; that’s just what we try and focus on, you know, if we play well, we’ll be there or thereabouts, but if we don’t, then we won’t be.”
England have underachieved in the WTC. They are yet to make a final in three editions and sit seventh with a win percentage of 40.79. Before the New Zealand tour, England had won seven and lost seven of their 14 Tests this year, including defeats to Sri Lanka and Pakistan which weren’t met well by their fans.
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Fans criticise Ben Stokes for his view on the World Test Championship
“Scandalous. Not sure that I’ll bother buying tickets to watch a team that can’t even be bothered to learn the rules of the competitions it plays in. The arrogance is exceptional,” wrote one fan in response to a post by Wisden Cricket on X (formerly Twitter).
“£175 a day next year to watch a team which doesn’t care about results and which can’t be bothered to learn the rules of the main competition it plays in,” wrote another.
Here are some of the reactions from fans to Stokes’ comments.
Stokes himself has endured a difficult year in Test cricket. He is averaging 24 with the bat and his six wickets have cost 44 apiece.
