Saturday 5 September 2015 20:50, UK
England ODI skipper Eoin Morgan was left annoyed after Ben Stokes was given out in controversial circumstances as Australia claimed a 64-run victory in the second match of the Royal London Series.
The all-rounder was dismissed for obstructing the field by the umpires after he handled the ball as he took evasive action to avoid Mitchell Starc's shy at the stumps.
England eventually lost the contest at Lord's as Australia took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series despite some spirited hitting by Morgan and Liam Plunkett in the closing stages.
It was the dismissal of Stokes that proved to be the major talking point though, with Morgan feeling his player had been hard done by.
Morgan was adamant the decision should have been withdrawn by Australia counterpart Steven Smith, saying: "I'm not sure what to think of it to be honest. It would have been a lot different if we were fielding.
"The guy throws the ball in your direction from five yards and all you can do is flinch. He was given out.
"It would have been a lot different if we were fielding - I think it was a natural reaction to protect himself as much as anything else."
When asked if he would have recalled the batsman in similar circumstances, he replied: "Yes."
But Smith refused to back down, insisting he had done nothing wrong.
"I think that [Morgan's reaction] is a little bit disappointing," he said.
"The umpires are there to make a decision, it went upstairs to the third umpire and he saw it the same way we saw it and it was given out.
"If you wilfully put your hand out in front of the ball then you're given out and that's the way it went."
Reacting to the game itself, he added: "I thought our players played a very good game and showed some great character.
"Hopefully we can continue playing good cricket and win this series in the next game."
The third match in the series takes place at Old Trafford on Tuesday. Coverage begins on Sky Sports 2 at 1:30pm.
