England's strategy Under Scrutiny as Farokh Engineer Blames Them for Cheating in Lord's Test

The third India-England Test match at Lord's became hot and rowdy towards the close of Day 3. Though the cricket itself had some good batting efforts from Indian players such as KL Rahul who scored a spectacular century along with useful contributions by Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja the drama in the latter half of the day grabbed all the attention. The game was evenly matched with both sides making precisely 387 runs in their first innings but it is what unfolded moments before stumps that is now the biggest talking point.

England's opening duo Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were asked to come in and bat late in the day when India had completed their innings. What ensued was a performance many including the erstwhile India cricketer Farokh Engineer feel went beyond the confines of sportsmanship. During the first over bowled by Jasprit Bumrah Crawley was observed employing various strategies to retard the game and apparently escape being exposed to more deliveries before the conclusion of the day's play. These tactics seemed to be designed to get stumps called quickly and not have to play another over. This resulted in a heated confrontation between Crawley and India's captain Shubman Gill who was clearly angry at what he perceived as unfair behavior.

Viewers of the match were taken aback by the fiery exchange between the two players and the apparent delaying tactics on the field. What appeared to be a peaceful conclusion to a day of decent cricket immediately became controversial and had viewers questioning the motives of England. It was not long before criticism came pouring in and among the most vocal was that of Farokh Engineer who did not hesitate when giving his take on the incident.

Referring to the episode Engineer charged England with cheating and said that what took place on the field could not be explained as gamesmanship. He noted that although the English side could call it professionalism the fact was quite another thing. To him, it was apparent time wasting and a clear effort to prevent themselves from facing Bumrah for one additional over. He stated that Crawley might have attempted being subtle but ended up doing it so openly that it seemed like an attempt to manipulate. He reiterated that according to him, such actions were not justifiable and didn't prove the essence of the game. He further added that if Indian batsmen had attempted something so obvious they would have been severely criticized.

Farokh Engineer took it a step ahead and employed some strong words to define the act. He called it not cricket and said it was indefensible under any tag. To him, the actions of the England players betrayed an absence of sportsmanship and apprehension of confronting India's pace bowling in a juncture of the game. His comments have evoked passionate reactions from fans particularly those who already questioned the intense and sometimes gaudy way of playing that England have become associated with under the banner of Bazball.

The idea of Bazball a name applied to England's hyper-aggressive methodology in Test cricket under coach Brendon McCullum has usually been regarded in the media. But Farokh Engineer was not impressed and took the opportunity to criticize the strategy. He said the Bazball strategy may succeed against the weaker sides like Afghanistan or Bangladesh or even Sri Lanka but it just fails when applied against a powerful side like India. He claimed England's so-called fearless cricket style disintegrates when subjected to actual pressure from a high-class team. Actually he continued to state that if England had really played in their Bazball style in this series India would have already won.

Engineer's words have been echoed by many Indian fans who believe that England has not played the game in the true sense of the word throughout the series. The happenings at Lord's on Day 3 have now become a part of a larger dialogue regarding the way cricket should be played and what would constitute fair play on the field. The charge of cheating is a grave one and issued by a renowned former cricketer like Engineer it has only provided further credence to the criticism against the English team.

In the meantime, the England side has not responded officially to the allegations and it is yet to be seen if the cricket boards or the match officials will hear anything of the grievances. Until then the attention will shift back on to the cricket as both the sides enter the last days of the Test match but the spectre of scandal will hang over the proceedings.

The incident is also a reminder of how quickly the mood of a Test match can shift. What started as a day of Indian resilience and solid batting ended with tensions high and the spirit of the game being questioned. It has added a fresh layer of rivalry to the already competitive series and has left fans eagerly waiting to see how both teams respond on the field going forward.

As this Test series progresses the limelight will be on not only the prowess of the players but also on how they conduct themselves under stress. Cricket is famously referred to as a gentleman's game and situations like these test if teams are indeed living up to the name. Farokh Engineer's comments will probably remain in the minds of the players and the fans as well and could possibly affect the way future games are played when the stakes are high and the pressure is on.