England ke Test captain Ben Stokes ne haal hi mein media par ilzaam lagaya ke unke vice-captain Ollie Pope ke upar pressure banane wali narrative sirf ek media ka banaya hua “agenda” tha. Yeh sab us waqt shuru hua jab Stokes ne ek press conference mein young talent Jacob Bethell ke future ke baare mein baat ki thi. Media ne unki baat ko is tarah samjha jaise woh Pope ki jagah Bethell ko team mein lana chah rahe hain – especially India ke khilaaf upcoming series (jo 20 June 2025 se start ho rahi hai) ke liye.
Background: Stokes Ki Comments Aur Media Ka Reaction
Zimbabwe ke khilaf ek one-off Test se pehle, Stokes se Jacob Bethell ke role ke baare mein poocha gaya. Bethell ne New Zealand mein debut series mein 52.00 average ke saath kaafi accha khela tha – teen half-centuries aur Wellington mein ek 96-run ki innings bhi kheli thi. IPL mein Royal Challengers Bengaluru ke saath busy hone ki wajah se woh Zimbabwe ke match mein shamil nahi ho paaye, lekin unka India series ke liye wapas aana expected tha.
Stokes ne kaha:
“Agar aap smart hain, toh New Zealand series mein jo Beth ne kiya usse samajh jaata hai ke woh India series ke liye wapas aayega. Toh agar aap 2 aur 2 jor ke sochein, toh aap samajh sakte hain kya hone wala hai.”
Media ne is baat ka matlab nikala ke Bethell shayad No. 3 batsman banne wale hain – yaani Pope ya Zak Crawley ki jagah jaa sakti hai. Pope ka Test average 34.02 hai, lekin India aur Australia ke khilaaf unka average sirf 22.00 hai, jo unki position ko aur weak banata hai. Crawley bhi target mein rahe, kyunki New Zealand ke khilaaf unka average sirf 8.66 tha.
Stokes Ka Reaction: Media Par “Agenda” Ka Ilzaam
Zimbabwe ke khilaf innings aur 45 runs se jeet ke baad (jahan Pope ne 169*, Crawley ne 124 aur Duckett ne 140 banaye), Stokes ne apna gussa express kiya. Unhone BBC Test Match Special ko kaha:
“Mujhe laga ke yeh ek simple sawaal tha aur maine seedha jawab diya. Bethell squad mein wapas aayega, maine bas itna kaha. Lekin media ne us baat ko aise twist kiya jaise Pope ki position khatre mein ho.”
Unhone bataya ke unhone match ke ek din pehle Pope se baat ki thi aur clear kiya ke unki jagah safe hai. Pope ne bhi media se kaha ke woh “noise” se pareshan nahi hote aur apne performance pe focus rakhte hain.
Context: Selection Pressure Aur Team Dynamics
Yeh speculation bilkul out of context nahi tha. England ki team management – Stokes aur coach Brendon McCullum – ne hamesha young talent ko promote kiya hai, chahe woh experience ke khilaf hi kyu na ho. Bethell ki left-arm spin bhi ek extra option hai, jo Pope ya Crawley ke paas nahi.
McCullum ne New Zealand tour ke baad kaha tha ke Bethell ne “selection ke liye accha headache” diya hai, aur yeh bhi bola ke “humare liye sabse important cheez runs hain” – yaani performance ke basis pe hi selection hoga.
Former captain Michael Vaughan ne Pope ke century ko “cheap runs” kaha kyunki Zimbabwe ka bowling attack weak tha. Is se yeh signal milta hai ke Pope ki position abhi bhi fully secure nahi hai.
Stokes Ki Leadership aur Media Ka Impact
Stokes ke media par ilzaam dikhata hai ke unko ye baat samajh aayi hai ke unke words kis tarah team morale aur player confidence ko affect karte hain. Bethell jaise youngsters ko back karna unki policy ka hissa hai – lekin ek captain ke taur par unko ye bhi dekhna padta hai ke unke senior players jaise Pope ko support milta rahe.
Stokes ka kehna hai ke unki comments squad selection ke liye theen – playing XI ke liye nahi. Lekin jab media ne uss comment ko is tarah project kiya jaise Pope ki job khatre mein hai, to usne team ke andar tension create kiya.
Tanqeedi Nazar: Media Ya Team Strategy Ka Masla?
Stokes media ko blame kar rahe hain, lekin media ka reaction bhi poori tarah galat nahi tha. Unka “2 aur 2 jor lo” comment naturally speculation ko invite karta hai, especially jab Bethell jaise young player ne strong performance diya ho aur team already bold selections karti ho.
Lekin yeh bhi sach hai ke media ka pressure players pe bura asar daal sakta hai. Stokes ki baat sirf Bethell ko squad mein include karne ki thi, lekin uski timing aur context galat samjhi gayi. Unki baad mein clarification aur Pope ke support se yeh clear hota hai ke woh apne team members ko shield karne ki puri koshish kar rahe hain.
Leadership, Performance aur Narrative Ka Tanaav
Stokes-Bethell-Pope controversy ne dikhaya ke international cricket mein captaincy, media interpretation aur player performance kaafi interconnected hote hain. Stokes ke media par “agenda” ka ilzaam ek genuine frustration tha, lekin Pope aur Crawley ki centuries ne temporary taur par debate ko silence kar diya.
Ab India series ke liye team selection ek naya challenge hoga. Bethell ka integration – chahe No. 3 pe ho, opener ke taur par ho, ya all-rounder ke role mein – yeh test karega ke Stokes aur McCullum ki strategy kitni clear aur effective hai.
For now, Stokes ka Pope ke saath khula support aur media se confrontation dikhata hai ke woh apne players ke liye khade rehte hain – lekin summer ke bade tours ke pehle, har ek comment ka matlab, har selection ka reason aur har performance ka impact, spotlight mein rahega.
