Brad Haddin has rubbished suggestions from ex-England captain Mike Atherton that Ben Stokes intimidated the hard-nosed Aussie keeper in the all-rounder’s debut Ashes series in 2013.
Atherton claimed in a column for The Times that Stokes forced Haddin into a rare backdown during an on-field confrontation during England’s tour Down Under more than a decade ago.
The current England captain is in the midst of his 100th Test, the third match of the series in India, was supposedly menacing enough to force Haddin to stop sledging him during a tour when he announced himself as a star of the future with a century despite Australia’s 5-0 dominance.
Atherton wrote: “I wouldn’t get yourself much further into this one with him, mate,” Haddin was warned by James Anderson in Adelaide, “he doesn’t quite know the difference between on and off the pitch, if you know what I mean.”
“Nutter,” said Matt Prior to Haddin, nodding in Stokes’s direction. Haddin did not utter a word after that. Immediately, Australia’s players knew they were dealing with a character to be reckoned with, and in Perth, after a brilliant hundred, they knew they were dealing with a cricketer to be reckoned with.”
However, Haddin has hit back at Atherton’s version of events on his Willow Talk podcast.
“My response is I’ve never heard more crap in my life. What, we were meant to be intimidated by Ben Stokes?” he asked.
Brad Haddin and Ben Stokes at Adelaide Oval in 2013. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
“I’ll tell you what did happen. There was a confrontation mid-wicket and we started it. He nicked me off for 50 (but the umpire called) no-ball.
“So I’ve walked back in and as I’ve walked past Ben Stokes I congratulated him on his first Test wicket. So I found my opening. He’s blown up and I’m going back at him. It was quite amusing.”
The Knightwatchmen who say Nii
Roar Rookie
Me and my little brother back in the day.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
You may be right. It wasn’t PR people at the trial though was it? It was sworn testimony including by witnesses supporting him.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Chubby? I don’t recall him being chubby. Did you mean chirpy?
JohnB
Roar Rookie
Quite possibly so, but the comment on Vaughan still stands!
Tempo
Roar Rookie
If you believe the ridiculous spin he put about defending some gay people (who incidentally he was reported to have mocked and thrown a cigarette butt at earlier in the evening), then you will believe anything. It’s part of the hagiography that follows Ben Stokes around. He has an extensive rap sheet of poor behaviour from early in his career apart from that, including mocking Katie Price and Dwight Yorke’s severely disabled son in a video. Unfortunately for Ben his PR people couldn’t spin that one so he was forced to publicly apologise.
Curmudgeon1961
Roar Rookie
Always cracks me up "Dont cuss me man" Meanwhile Ambrose can aim a learher rock at people heads but swearing? How gutsy did Waugh have to be to say that to him
ojp44
Roar Rookie
A bit chirpy is one way of describing it. There was a foxtel ad for the domestic one day comp some years back, which featured players from all the states being asked a series of questions in a 'get to know them' sort of thing... who is the best bat, favourite place to play, which local club did you play for, fastest bowler you have faced... that sort of thing. 'who is your least favourite opposition player ?' Every single player answer they showed *(4-5 guys) all nominated Brad Haddin.
ojp44
Roar Rookie
In that same 'sweat bands' game (1st final, 92-93 season), Curtly took 5 for including cleaning up Ian Healy with a very very slow ball... Curtly cracked up laughing afterwards, as did Healy. Its on youtube if anyone cares to have a look. But agree with the general thrust of your comment Don... Curtly certainly had the menacing aura plus he had skills to back it up. Off the field though, I understand he is a lovely bloke.
The Bush
Roar Guru
I agree that on a very superficial level, Stokes statistics look like Watson's, but when you scratch the surface, they aren't the same at all. I'm the opposite of a Stokes-fan, he's become unbearable since he took over the captaincy, but let's get serious here for a second; he has a truly uncanny knack for scoring important runs when his team needs him. Watto was, in reality, a passenger as a batsman for long stretches in the Australian team. He scored four test centuries in his entire career and one was in a dead rubber in the 2013 Ashes in England and another later that year in the third test, in the second innings against an England team that was by this point, half-filled with blokes planning to retire that night. Although in theory it sounds great to have a guy consistently score 30s and 40s, in reality centuries win tests matches from a batting perspective and Watto contributed almost none of them. Not only does Stokes lay claim to having one of the greatest test centuries in history in the 2019 Ashes, he's scored other classy centuries all over the world. And then, as others point out, his bowling has for long stretches been far more important than Watto's was for Australia.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
It's an absolute tablet set in stone to take no notice of what Haddin says.
FunBus
Roar Rookie
Haddin's that little chubby bloke that got 4 centuries in 66 tests and knocked the bails off in the ODI against NZ whilst claiming the batter had been bowled, isn't he?
Nathan Absalom
Roar Guru
True, but he's played a lot more tests, nearly a hundred? It's when you compare him to players like Imran Khan or Jacques Kallis that you realise he's well short of a generational talent, let alone the best player England has produced.
E-Meter
Roar Rookie
The rest of the England team were quivering like Italian soldiers when Mitchell Johnson grabbed the red ball.
RayinSydney
Roar Rookie
Want to explain that one?
JohnB
Roar Rookie
It's generally a sound rule of thumb to not take much notice of anything Vaughan says.
Thing Me
Roar Rookie
Well he is the son of a Kiwi thugby league player.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
My memory's not what it was but the following's an excerpt from an article that was put together about the time when that pub incident was being sorted out, so 4 or 5 years ago; The commentators praise his passion; they talk up his efforts to lift the team. In isolation, that may be exactly how it appears. But for a player with an affinity for hostility, who, throughout his career, has tight-roped the line between passionate aggression and violence, it is another worrying notice of the Ben Stokes that lives at a shallow depth under the surface. Granted things appear to have have changed, but that was the perception of Stokes at that time by at least one journalist, which could only come from what they understood about his behaviour, on & off the field
Thing Me
Roar Rookie
Jock Edwards v Denis Lillee.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
Similar bowling average though. And Stokes barely bowls at all anymore. He’s a good player sure, but I saw Vaughan suggest he’s England’s greatest ever player - which is frankly garbage.
Nathan Absalom
Roar Guru
He was a bit chirpy, did score a few. I mean, it's not really against the spirit of cricket or anything but it's quite strange to admit to setting off on a bit of verbal when you've got out off a no ball. Bit like when Robinson gave Khawaja a send off after he got him out for a hundred. Not a big deal in the scheme of things and over-egged in the press but self awareness is a bit lacking.