England fast bowler Stuart Broad has finally spoken up on the ugly spat with his teammate Ben Stokes which took place on the third day of the first Test against South Africa in Centurion.
During a drinks break, Broad and Stokes were seen getting involved in a heated argument. Both the players looked frustrated and exchanged a few words.
Broad has now revealed what exactly happened between the two cricketers.
“We got a wicket and, in the huddle, afterward, I said ‘Boys, I think we can up our standards out here, bowlers can hit the lengths harder, fielders can stop the ones, they’re on top of us with their energy.’ Stokesy went, ‘I don’t agree with you.’ Which is great. You don’t want yes men, do you?” Broad was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.
“He said, ‘I don’t agree with you; I think we’ve been good.’ I said: ‘Fair enough, it’s just my opinion, but I don’t think we’ve been very good.’ And we had a bit of back and forth like that. I really liked that. A couple of minutes later, he walked over and gave me a big fist pump, and he even texted me, saying sorry for the disagreement,” added Broad.
“There’s no need to say sorry. That’s a sport. That’s what it’s about. It’s part of why communication is so strong in this group. The great thing about that was it was just two blokes trying to get England in a better place,” Broad added further.
Joe Root-led side lost the first Test by 107 runs, but they won the second Test in Cape Town by 189 runs, thanks to Stokes, who exhibited an all-round show and played a crucial role in England’s victory.
The remaining two matches of the four-match series will be played at Port Elizabeth (Jan 16-20) and Johannesburg (Jan 24-28), respectively.
