Gavaskar cooks Harry Brook: 'Were Lahore lights fine or...?'; Ben Duckett looks for a place to hide after England's exit

Gavaskar cooks Harry Brook: ‘Were Lahore lights fine or…?’; Ben Duckett looks for a place to hide after England’s exit

Posted by author February 27, 2025 Cricket

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For the second time in three ICC events, England have failed to progress into the knockouts. The 2019 World Champions seem to be stuck at a point of no return as some of the greats call for a complete overhaul in how they play ODI cricket. Under Eoin Morgan, England revolutionised the format, unleashing a template that other teams picked up and built on it. But Jos Buttler’s men have not been able to evolve. Starting with squad selection, player forms, and captaincy – England are grappling with several outdated issues with no immediate solution in sight.

Cricket – Second One Day International – India v England – Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, India – February 9, 2025 England’s Harry Brook and Ben Duckett in the field REUTERS/Sahiba Chawdhary(REUTERS)

With a defeat to Afghanistan – their second in ICC tournaments – England have been eliminated from the Champions Trophy with a second straight loss, following the one against Australia. And expectedly, the loss has thus subjected them to a barrage of speculations. After Michael Vaughan, Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain expressed their displeasure with this team’s performance, India legend Sunil Gavaskar added insult to injury.

“I just saw Harry Brook’s dismissal. Are the lights in Lahore ok or not? Because when he played in Kolkata, he said that he couldn’t see the ball properly because of smog. That’s why I’m asking. I hope the Lahore lights are fine? Because the catching practice he gave to get out… I don’t know,” he said on the DP World Dressing Room Show on Ten Sports.

Gavaskar’s statements were in reference to Brook’s bizarre ‘smog’ excuse during England’s T20I series against India last month. After England’s poor outing against India in the series opener, Brook, the vice-captain, ahead of the second match, said, “Chakravarthy is an exceptionally good bowler. He is tough to pick, and actually with the smog the other night, it was a lot harder to pick as well. Hopefully, the air is a bit clearer here and we can see the ball a bit easier.”

Ben Duckett made to eat his words

Brook wasn’t the only one targetted. Ben Duckett, the opener too landed in hot waters for a comment he had made during the India ODIs. As England risked losing 0-3 after going down 0-2 in the first two games, Duckett said he and the team don’t mind losing to hosts 0-3 as long as they can ‘beat India in the final’ of the Champions Trophy. Well, as it turns, out, the comment did not age well, with India having qualified for the semi-finals and England taking the flight back home.

Duckett may not remember or entertain his comments, but fans on X sure do. The England opener faced no mercy from fans, who wouldn’t let the opportunity go to rub it in.

Here are some of the reactions:

Duckett began the tournament well, blasting a career-best 165 against the Aussies, albeit in a losing case as Australia chased down a herculean 352-run chase.