England Players Call Siraj—Mr. Angry
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has revealed that Ben Stokes’ team has a nickname for Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj — Mr. Angry.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has revealed that Ben Stokes’ team has a nickname for Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj — Mr. Angry — because of his fiery nature on the field. Hussain gave it out in his tribute for Siraj, calling him a ‘born entertainer’ with everything from passion and skill to succeed at this level.
Siraj won India the Oval Test with nine wickets, including a five-wicket haul in their defense of 374. He had some forgettable moments, like dropping Harry Brook when he was new at the crease and then seeing him hit a century, but didn’t let it deter his belief to script India’s narrowest win, by six runs, and one of the best comebacks. He ended the series, drawn 2-2, as the highest wicket-taker with 23 wickets.
“He’s fiery, the England boys call him Mr. Angry, and he has the longest follow-through in the history of the game, but he demands your attention," Hussain wrote in his column for The Daily Mail. “You could do a montage of the histrionics – down on his knees in despair at Lord’s, the celebrations and dejection when DRS decisions go one way or another." “He’s a born entertainer, but crucially he’s got all the other attributes you need at the highest level: heart, passion, and ultimately skill, he added.
“If Siraj gets it wrong, India loses the series, so it was perfect execution from a champion cricketer that has unfairly courted controversy over the past month," Hussain said. Earlier, even Root had called out Siraj for his ‘fake-aggression’. Speaking light-heartedly and with praise for the Indian pacer, the English batter said he sees right through Siraj’s antics while batting.
Hussain summarised the frantic final day of the series, saying he’ll miss it now that it’s over. “Now it’s finished, I will miss it. So incredible has it been that it makes you wonder why this format is ever questioned? If you landed someone 30 days ago and took them around this country’s Test match venues, asking them: Is this thing we call Test cricket working? They’d look at you funny. It’s so bloody good," Hussain said.
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