Ben Stokes Opens Up On The 2nd Multan Test After England's Poor Show In The Field

The England skipper admitted that he apologized to the team after expressing his frustration on the field

Ben Stokes bowls during the third day of the second Test between Pakistan and England / Popperfoto via Getty Images.

By Ian Omoro

Ben Stokes, whose England team lost the second Test against Pakistan by 152 runs on Friday, said he was sorry for expressing his anger on the pitch the day before. On day three in Multan, the visitors were left to regret two missed catches as Pakistan scored 221 in their second innings, Salman Agha escaping on four and six his route to an important half-century. With one match remaining, England had to chase an implausible 297 to win the series, but they were never able to go near on a Multan field that was turned sharply and used for the first Test.

At the Multan Stadium, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan put on a show, taking all 20 wickets to surprise England, who were unable to read the spin.

Stokes had a dreadful outing, with nothing going in England's favor. It was a difficult test for the Three Lions, especially Stokes, who failed to score runs and was dismissed in an unusual manner.

In an emotional outburst on the field following England's dismal performance in the field during the second Test, Stokes opened up and acknowledged acting like a grumpy old man. The fact that England missed three vital catches in the second innings is noteworthy since it turned out to be a critical turning point in the match.

"It's the first time in my captaincy that I've let my emotions, how I was feeling as the game was unfolding,” Stokes told Sky Sports.

Stokes also promised his England teammates that he wouldn't make the same mistake again in light of the most recent occurrences.

“I apologised to the group and said that was poor of me. I was a tired and grumpy old man last night. You won’t see that happen again. I owned up to that and I’m very annoyed at myself for letting that out. It’s something that I don’t want to do or be seen to be doing. No one means to drop catches, but it just proves how important catches are out in these subcontinent conditions because they don’t come along that often,” he said.

The third Test between England and Pakistan will take place at Rawalpindi Stadium on October 24.