Former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting criticised Indian pacer Akash Deep for his post-wicket gesture towards England’s Ben Duckett during the fifth Test match at The Oval, stating he would have responded with physical aggression if faced with similar behaviour during his playing career. The incident occurred in the 13th over of England’s innings when Akash Deep dismissed Duckett and subsequently wrapped his arm around the batter’s shoulder with a smile.
The dismissal came after Duckett had scored an aggressive 43 runs off 38 balls, including four boundaries and a six against Akash Deep. This was the fourth time Akash Deep had claimed Duckett’s wicket in the series, but the first instance followed a period where the English batter had dominated the bowler.During a Sky Sports Lunch break show, presenter Ian Ward questioned Ponting about the incident, asking, “I can think of a few batsmen down the years that would take umbrage at this, and I’m looking very much in your direction. That would have been a Ponting right hook, wouldn’t it?”Ponting responded affirmatively, stating, “Probably yeah, probably.”The former Australian captain later softened his stance, acknowledging Duckett’s composed reaction to the incident. “Although I mean, when I saw it, I just thought they must have been mates or played against each other somewhere or together. I would like to have something like that. I mean, you don’t see that every day, maybe in a local park game or not in a test match that’s been played as fiercely as this series has been played. I love the way that Ben Duckett plays his cricket. I think I like him more now to not to be able to react to that,” Ponting said.The incident was part of a dramatic second day at The Oval, where 16 wickets fell on a pitch with unpredictable bounce. India, starting at 204/6, were bowled out for 224.England’s innings began explosively, reaching 92 runs in just 13 overs. However, they eventually collapsed to 247 all out, securing a narrow 23-run lead.By the end of the day’s play, which was cut short due to bad light, India had reached 75-2, with Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring an unbeaten 51 off 49 balls despite being dropped twice. This gave India a lead of 52 runs.The match remains closely contested with England leading the series 2-1, making this final Test crucial for both teams.
