'No place for it in the game' - Ben Stokes 'disappointed' with racial abuse at Edgbaston

England Test captain Ben Stokes took it to social media to condemn the racial abuse that occurred during the rescheduled fifth and final Test match between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham. He expressed being “disappointed” to hear about the occurrence, adding that there is no place for racism in the game.

The star England all-rounder hopes that the fans for the T20I and ODI series create a “party atmosphere” and have a good time. He also said that he had an amazing week on the pitch after England won the Test match at Edgbaston, successfully chasing their highest-ever total of 378 in the format and levelling the series 2-2.

Absolutely no place for it (racial abuse) in the game: Stokes

“Amazing week on the pitch but really disappointed to hear reports of racist abuse at Edgbaston,” the England red-ball skipper wrote on Twitter. “Absolutely no place for it in the game. Hope all the fans at the white-ball series have a brilliant time and create a party atmosphere. That’s what cricket’s about!!,” he added. 

Meanwhile, the first T20I of the three-match series is set to begin on July 7, Thursday, and the following two matches will be played on July 9 and July 10, respectively. Following that is the three-match ODI series, which will begin on July 12, with second and third ODIs to be played on July 14 and July 17, respectively. This will be the first assignment for Jos Buttler as the full-time white-ball captain of England.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma is expected to be back in the playing XI for the limited-overs series after missing the rescheduled fifth Test match due to Covid-19. He has not appeared for the team since the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 in May, as he was rested for the T20I series against South Africa and Ireland in June.

Other senior players such as Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer have been rested for the first T20I, having appeared in the Edgbaston Test match. They are in the squad for the second and third T20Is.