Ben Stokes Gets In Another Fight, This Time On Field vs New Zealand

Ben Stokes Gets Into A Fight With Mitchell Santner [Source: X]In a controversial turn of events, England captain Ben Stokes had a tense chat with New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner during the second day of the 3rd Test ongoing at Trent Bridge Stadium in Nottingham.New Zealand had opted to bat first and were off to a flying start as openers Tom Latham and Devon Conway stitched a record 317-run opening partnership.However, England made a brief comeback as the middle order collapsed owing to Ben Stokes’ resilient spell, where he picked up 4 wickets.Ben Stokes takes a strong stand against Mitchell SantnerMeanwhile, on the final ball of the 101st over on Day 2, Ben Stokes bowled a sharp short ball to Mitchell Santner. The New Zealand all-rounder tried to duck underneath the bouncer, but the ball brushed something on his arm area and ballooned to gully, where Jacob Bethell took the catch.The on-field umpire judged it out as England celebrated. But Santner believed the ball had hit his arm guard rather than his glove and hence opted for a review. Interestingly, in between the review, Ben Stokes asked Mitchell Santner where he thought the ball had hit. While Santner pointed to his arm guard, the England captain corrected him.He indicated that it had hit the sweatband and glove area by touching his arm directly with his finger. This gesture left Santner a bit fazed as Stokes had a few words to say to him.Watch the video below:crictalk @crictalk7 Jun 26, 2026, 5:05 PM Meanwhile, the third umpire looked at replays and UltraEdge to conclude that the ball had touched the glove and the sweatband attached to the glove, which legally counts as glove contact. Therefore, Santner was ruled out caught.Also Read - Revealed: Why New Zealand Players Are Wearing Black Armbands On Day 1 of 3rd Test vs England?Stokes earns redemption after the nightclub controversyMeanwhile, Ben Stokes proved that he is here to stay after a controversial last couple of weeks. He was caught having a physical fight with a rugby player inside a nightclub following the first Test vs New Zealand.The ECB later took disciplinary action and benched Stokes for the second Test, thus igniting retirement rumours. However, the England captain was in no mood to give up.He returned for the third Test and took a four-wicket-haul to bring his team back into the game after New Zealand’s early domination. Ben Stokes had been in the news for all the wrong reasons. But instead of drifting away, he used the criticism as fuel to make a stronger and much more impactful comeback.England is still on the backfootHaving said that, New Zealand left no room for error in the third Test against England at Nottingham. Tom Latham and Devon Conway scored 151 and 157 runs, respectively, to tire out the English bowlers.Although the middle order couldn’t add many runs on the board, New Zealand still surpassed the 400-run mark on Day 2. For England, only Ben Stokes showed fight with a four-fer. It’s important to note that the 3-game series currently stands at 1-1. This game is a series decider, meaning the stakes are higher than ever.Also Read: Indian Fans Lash Out At Gautam Gambhir As Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Debut Cancelled vs Ireland