Nathan Lyon Slams Ben Stokes and England Over Handshake Drama: ‘Trying to Deny Centuries Was Petty and Unsportsmanlike’

Australia spinner Nathan Lyon gave a blunt and no-nonsense response to England’s conduct during the ‘handshake-gate’ controversy in Manchester.

Nathan Lyon Fires Back Amid Manchester Fallout

Ahead of the fifth and final Test of the gripping Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the spotlight has shifted from cricketing brilliance to heated off-field controversies. Tensions peaked during the drawn fourth Test in Manchester, where England captain Ben Stokes clashed with the Indian team and faced criticism from the media for his conduct.

The so-called “handshake-gate” has fueled a storm online, with the majority of fans supporting Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar for choosing to remain on the field in pursuit of personal milestones. Meanwhile, Stokes has drawn widespread flak, emerging as a pantomime villain due to England’s conduct and comments at Old Trafford.

Adding fuel to the fire, Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon, never one to shy away from a cheeky dig at England, weighed in during a Big Bash League press interaction. Speaking plainly, Lyon remarked, “Get them out. Don’t let them get a hundred,” dismantling England’s posturing with brutal clarity.

Stokes, along with teammates Harry Brook and Zak Crawley, has come under fire for alleged gamesmanship after offering India a draw late on Day 5. While England’s actions have been slammed as hypocritical, many believe India’s batters were fully justified in playing on to chase individual achievements.

‘Don’t want to watch what happens in Manchester…’

Nathan Lyon didn’t hold back when weighing in on England’s pitch conditions—particularly the much-criticised Old Trafford surface, which produced only 24 wickets across five full days. The Australian off-spinner underlined the importance of maintaining a fair balance between bat and ball, something he believes was sorely lacking in Manchester.

“It’s always been a great competition between bat and ball and that’s the way Australia’s produced wickets like that… That’s the way cricket should be,” Lyon stated. “You want to see competition between bat and ball. I think that’s crucial, and all the fans, that’s what they want to see—they don’t really want to watch what happened over in Manchester last week.”

With England leading the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-1, India still have a shot at levelling the series in the final Test at The Oval—provided the pitch offers more substance than the last.

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