‘Holder, Gayle & Russell said to me India didnt want to see Pak qualify’

New Delhi, May 30 (IANS) All-rounder Ben Stokes talking about Indias run-chase against England in the 2019 World Cup in his book has taken a new turn now with former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed saying that West Indies players had told him after watching the game that India lost the game to stop Pakistan from entering the knockout stages.

“I was working with the West Indies squad at last year’s World Cup. After India’s loss to England, Jason Holder, Chris Gayle and Andre Russell said to me, Mushy, India didn’t want to see Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals,” Mushtaq Ahmed told Pakistani news channel ARY Sports.

Stokes has denied the claims that in his latest book “Ben Stokes on Fire”, he suggested that India deliberately lost to England at the 2019 World Cup in the round-robin stage.

Former Pakistan bowler Sikander Bakht recently claimed on Twitter that Stokes, in his book, has said that India lost intentionally to England to remove Pakistan from the World Cup. “Ben Stokes writes in his book that India lost to England deliberately to remove Pakistan from world Cup 19 and we predicted it,” Bakht tweeted.

In response to Bakht’s tweet, a Twitter user asked where has Stokes made such comments. In response to the user’s question, the star England all-rounder himself responded: “You won’t find it cause I have never said it… it’s called “twisting of words” or “click bait”.”

IANS has also reviewed the book and there was no such mention. In his book, Stokes does talk about the approach of the Indians in that chase and how it was surprising to see them looking to keep wickets in the kitty and take the game to the backend.

Stokes, in fact, also speaks about how this might no longer be the smart way of approaching the game as the required run-rate starts piling up and it starts impacting those that come in at the fall of a wicket.

–IANS

bbh/