Bairstow was dismissed in a controversial manner in the second test at Lords
The Ashes is truly living up to its potential with on-field and off-field drama reaching new heights with every match. It started with a Firey sendoff given to Khwaja by Robinson in the first test at Edgbaston which did not go down well with the Australian fans and media as they were seen mocking Robinson for his pace. Things got even more spiced up when Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey stumped Bairstow in a controversial manner when the English wicketkeeper was caught wandering out of his crease and that eventually became the turning point of the match. It resulted in an aggressive reaction from the English fans, media, and especially from the members of the MCC some of who were involved in a verbal exchange with a few Australian players on their way to the dressing room.
The ‘Spirit of Cricket’ Debate
Bairstow’s dismissal reinvoked the ever-going debate of spirit of cricket. A term that has been present in cricketing books since its inception but has been used quite frequently since IPL 2019 when Ashwin ‘Mankaded’ (as the dismissal was referred to back then) during a league match. It came into the limelight again during the final of the 2019 world cup when a throw recociated from Stokes’ bat and the ball rolled to the boundary for four. The umpire awarded six runs to England but the replay showed that the batters had not crossed each other for the second run to be deemed legal when the ball touched the boundary line.
‘The Heat is on’
With the fourth Ashes test still a few days away Carey was asked the same question regarding Bairstow’s dismissal to which the wicketkeeper replied “There’s some nasty stuff been said but…it is the Ashes” “There was nasty stuff said before that as well. I feel really well supported. I think the whole group does. From Australia I still think we’ve got lots of fans and from England, I don’t think we’ve made any, but we probably didn’t lose any.”
It’s one of those things where a stumping that’s given out on field is turned into a massive story. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I absolutely respect that. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion on the spirit of cricket as well. Not just myself, the whole group’s had some stuff spoken about them. But we’re really tight. We understand what’s important and who matters and those guys definitely have our back.
