Following Alex Carey's controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow, England captain Ben Stokes expressed his disapproval, stating that he would not want to win in such a manner. However, numerous esteemed figures from English cricket hold the belief that the team has no grounds for complaint.
Classy Iconic Lords lets itself down
Despite Stokes's remarkable century and his valiant efforts to orchestrate a remarkable victory for England in front of an enthusiastic Lord's crowd, he was eventually dismissed for 155 runs, leaving the team still trailing by 70 runs. Ultimately, the tourists triumphed by a margin of 43 runs.
Tension escalated during the morning session when a contentious incident unfolded involving England's batsman, Bairstow. In a moment of confusion, Bairstow ventured out of his crease, assuming that the ball was no longer in play. However, this resulted in him being run out by Australia's wicketkeeper, Alex Carey.
As Bairstow reluctantly made his way back to the revered Lord's pavilion, a chorus of boos rained down from the English supporters, directing their discontent towards the Australian team. This created an electric atmosphere, arguably unparalleled in the history of the iconic cricket venue, known as the Home of Cricket.
During the match where Pat Cummins' team secured a 2-0 lead in the Ashes series, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) issued an apology as Australia players faced verbal abuse from spectators in the Long Room at Lord's, directly relating to the aforementioned incident.
Spirit of the game or play by the rules
Following the conclusion of the match, Ben Stokes strongly criticised the Australian team, highlighting their failure to uphold the spirit of the game.
"If the shoe was on the other foot, I would have put more pressure on the umpires and asked whether they had called over and had a deep think about the whole spirit of the game and whether I would want to do something like that,' said Stokes.
"For Australia, it was the match-winning moment. Would I want to win a game in that manner? The answer is no," he added.
Stokes left frustrated
On the other hand, numerous legendary figures from English cricket did not express any objection to Carey's stumping of Bairstow.
Ex-captain Mike Atherton said: "England have nothing to complain about, it was a dozy bit of cricket from Jonny Bairstow."
Another former England skipper, Nasser Hussain, described Carey's move as, 'Ruthless, smart, and switched on.'
Former player Eoin Morgan didn't have a major problem with it, either, saying: "I don't see it compromising the spirit of the game".
Zero regrets fo Pat Cummins
In contrast, Pat Cummins has openly acknowledged that the stumping was a calculated move, disclosing that Alex Carey had observed Bairstow straying from his crease before executing the dismissal.
"I think Carey saw it happen a few balls previous, there was no pause. Catch it and throw at the stumps," he said.
"I thought it was totally fair play. I know some people disagree, but it's like the catch yesterday. That's how I saw it."
Cummins remained resolute and unapologetic, firmly asserting that Australia had made the correct decision, despite being questioned about their adherence to the spirit of cricket.
"I thought it was fair. You see Jonny do it all the time. He did it on Day One to (David) Warner. He did it in 2019 to Steve (Smith). It’s a really common thing for keepers to do if they see a batter keep on leaving their crease," said the Australia captain.
"Caz (Carey) - full credit to him. He saw the opportunity a few balls beforehand and rolled at the stumps. Jonny left his crease and we’ll leave the rest to the umpires,’"Cummins added.
