On Tuesday, the English all-rounder, Ben Stokes slammed an English newspaper as they published an article talking about a “deeply personal and traumatic events” about his family which happened before his birth.
Hours after the England all-rounder released a statement slamming the newspaper and described their act as the “lowest form of journalism”, #BenStokes started trending on Twitter in India as people from different fields started voicing their support for him. England Test skipper Joe Root also took to the micro-blogging site and tweeted in support of Stokes as he wrote: “Please take the time to read this and respect it”.
Please take the time to read this and respect it. https://t.co/06FuuNLMcS
— Joe Root (@root66) September 17, 2019
Stokes also got support from former England skipper Michael Vaughan, who tweeted Stokes’ statement on his social media account and urged people to read it.
Please read everyone .. https://t.co/JDJzWzrInW
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) September 17, 2019
Not only cricketers, but the English all-rounder also received support from England and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford. He tweeted: “Disappointing to see this. @benstokes38 has been huge for sport this summer. He and his family deserve better”.
Disappointing to see this.@benstokes38 has been huge for sport this summer. He and his family deserve better. https://t.co/KsBHXLGTXp
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) September 17, 2019
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison also released a statement regarding the same.
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“Harrison said, “We, like the wider sporting world, are disgusted and appalled at the actions taken in revealing the tragic events from Ben’s pas. We are saddened that an intrusion of this magnitude was deemed necessary in order to sell newspapers or secure clicks. Ben’s exploits this summer have cemented his place in cricket’s history – we are sure the whole sport, and the country stands behind him in support.”
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Stokes played one of the best Test knocks in a decade or so during the recently-concluded Ashes 2019 and helped his side team to win that Test, which also helped them to keep the series alive, single-handedly. England then went on to win the fifth and the finals Ashes Test, thus drawing the series 2-2.
Prior to Ashes, Stokes was England’s star performer during the World Cup 2019 as his heroics helped the hosts lift their maiden 50-over World Cup.