Ben Stokes was dismissed in strange fashion yet again in the series decider against Pakistan, as a bizarre decision to leave saw him caught LBW off the bowling of Noman Ali . With England looking to stay in the match in Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s spinners were once again causing all sorts of headaches for England’s batters, as the visiting team looked clueless against the spin attack. With a series of errors in judgements, the most egregious and remarkable was once again the dismissal of then English captain Stokes, who decided to leave a straight one and was out LBW in one of the most straightforward decisions any umpire can be asked to make.
Stokes’s dismissal saw his team fall to 70-5, after which the wickets fell in quick fashion as England collapsed to 112 all-out. This was the second occasion in this series where Stokes was dismissed in comical fashion. Coming into the team in the second Test in Multan, the English captain had stepped out to try and attack Noman, but completely missed the ball and saw his bat fly from his grip and end up near square leg while he was stumped.
Stokes has been criticised for his poor performances against spin, with the style of his dismissals speaking to his uncertainty while playing the turning ball in Asian conditions. This wicket also illustrated an error in judgement on his behalf, with this delivery certainly not being one that should have been left, even out of the hand. Pakistan spinners script history in England series win After .
