Legendary Australian Umpire Simon Taufel Exposes English Hypocrisy On Bairstow Dismissal

The Alex Carey stumping of Jonny Bairstow in the second Ashes Test has created a furore that simply refuses to die down with everyone from former players to the media delving into the matter.

Taufel slams spirit of the game garb

And now it's the turn of someone no less than Simon Taufel, the former ICC Elite Panel umpire and currently a member of the MCC laws sub-committee, who has come out voicing his opinion.

Taufel has clearly stated that Australia were well within the laws of the game to effect the stumping, and no amount of bickering from the English players and their media wouldn't change the facts.

It was a case of a player being negligent of the laws of the game and leaving the crease while the ball was very much in play.

Using the garb of 'Spirit of Cricket' while clearly breaching the Laws of Cricket was the undoing of Jonny Bairstow and Co.

Taufel wrote a LinkedIn post where he clearly spelt out his thoughts and had a range of questions for the public at large.

"Was Jonny Bairstow's dismissal at Lords a breach of the Spirit of Cricket?" Taufel wrote in a post on LinkedIn. "This is a question I have been inundated with, so I thought it best to share my thoughts publicly by asking everyone a question or eight to consider …

• "Have you seen any umpire tell a fielding side that the keeper standing back is not allowed to attempt a stumping?

• "Was there a complaint from anyone when Bairstow tried to stump Marnus exactly the same way in the first innings?

• "What has Jonny Bairstow said about his dismissal? He has been very quiet. Why?

• "My experience is when people don't like a dismissal under the Laws of Cricket, they cite the Spirit of Cricket to support their view.

• "Which part of the codified Preamble (the Spirit of Cricket) was breached by the fielding side?

• "What did the fielding side do in effecting a legitimate dismissal that unfairly impacted the ability of the batter in their attempt not to be dismissed? (Did they run into him or distract him or prevent him making good his ground?)

• "Should a batter be immune from dismissal as per the Laws by simply being negligent (and leaving his ground too early)?

• "Did England retire Ben Duckett when they disagreed with the Starc catch decision as per the Laws and umpires' decision?

"The hypocrisy and lack of consistency from some people and groups is quite interesting and concerning for the future of our game," he ended.

Published on: Wednesday, July 05, 2023, 03:36 PM IST