End of Old Trafford Test hopefully means England have more respect for other teams’ cultures and other players’ ambitions
Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have brought a clear, aggressive mindset to England over the past three years, an approach that has been hugely positive, freeing up the players and bringing a lot of excitement. But if they have decided to focus on winning games and entertaining the public, and chosen not to play for draws or focus on individual milestones, it does not mean everyone else has. Centuries are still important to players. Sometimes a draw is a positive result.
What we saw from England when India initially refused to accept the draw on Sunday was a combination of natural disappointment – they had dominated the game, played so much good cricket, wanted to force home the advantage and make the final Test a dead rubber – genuine tiredness and a bit of cultural insensitivity. Certain situations are viewed differently around the world.
Written by Mark Ramprakash
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jul/29/cricket-draw-furore-justin-langer-taught-me-not-shake-hands-too-early-mark-ramprakash under the title “Cricket endures draw furore but Langer taught me not to shake hands too early | Mark Ramprakash”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
