Marlon Samuels lacks respect - Stokes

Sun, Sep 18, '16

Ben Stokes believes Marlon Samuels "lacks respect" following the pair's various confrontations over the years.

A feisty, often angry, rivalry which began with Samuels' saluting Stokes after a dismissal in the Grenada Test in early 2015 further escalated during the World T20 final in Kolkata earlier this year went the pair went face-to-face in the middle.

Samuels would end up finishing unbeaten on 85, and earn the Man-of-the Match-award, while Carlos Braithwaite clubbed Stokes for four consecutive sixes to seal the trophy.

Samuels, who was later fined 30% of his match fee for abusive language, further raised the tension in the post-match press conference by saying: "Stokes is a nervous laddie…he doesn't learn."

In his autobiography, Firestarter: Me, Cricket and The Heat of the Moment, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail, Stokes makes clear that resentment remains strong.

"Marlon Samuels lacks respect. You get that if you have spent any time with him on a cricket field. Marlon's conduct after West Indies' victory over us in this year's World Twenty20 final showed a total disrespect for the game.

"Without removing his batting pads, Marlon walked into a press conference, sat down and placed his feet on the desk. Totally lacking manners.