Ben Foakes’ Hilarious Mishap Leaves England in Stitches as India Dominates Day One

England‘s cricket team faced a challenging day one in their match against India in Hyderabad, with India’s spinners stifling the tourists’ batting performance. Captain Ben Stokes showcased some resistance with a determined innings, scoring a defiant 70 to lift the total to 246. However, the highlight of the day came when English wicketkeeper Ben Foakes hilariously crashed into the stumps while attempting to field a throw, leaving his teammates in stitches.

The incident occurred early in India’s innings, as Foakes tumbled to the ground, inadvertently uprooting the stumps and providing a moment of comic relief on the field. Commentators couldn’t contain their laughter, with one exclaiming, ‘Ben Foakes had no idea for a second! He’s crashed into the stumps!’. Another added, ‘He’s taken all the stumps off! You don’t get to see that too often.’

Despite the amusement caused by Foakes’ mishap, England’s bigger concern was their bowlers’ struggle against an aggressive Indian batting line-up. India raced to 0-68 off just 10 overs, with spinner Tom Hartley having a difficult debut, conceding 44 runs off his initial five overs. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin were the pick of the Indian bowlers, each claiming three wickets after England elected to bat first.

England lost wickets at regular intervals until Ben Stokes took charge of the innings, providing a much-needed lift with his attacking style of play. Stokes reached his fifty with a six off Jadeja and formed crucial partnerships with debutant Tom Hartley and Mark Wood. His knock of 70 off 88 balls, including six fours and three sixes, helped England salvage a respectable total.

The day began positively for England, with openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley showcasing an aggressive approach, scoring boundaries with their ‘Bazball’ style of play. The ‘Bazball’ approach, devised by England coach Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes himself, emphasizes an attacking brand of cricket. However, India’s spinners quickly made an impact after their introduction, slowing down England’s progress.

India’s Ravichandran Ashwin claimed two quick wickets, dismissing Duckett and Crawley, while Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root fought hard to stabilize the innings. Bairstow’s dismissal by Axar Patel after lunch broke England’s 61-run partnership with Root, who was later caught by Jadeja at short fine-leg. England’s strategy in this match involved fielding three specialist spinners along with Root contributing as a part-time bowler.

The match in Hyderabad promises to be a fascinating contest between two strong cricketing nations. India’s XI includes Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj. Meanwhile, England’s XI features Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, and Jack Leach. The umpires for the match are Chris Gaffaney and Paul Reiffel, with Marais Erasmus serving as the TV umpire and Richie Richardson as the match referee.