England skipper Ben Stokes believes Jonny Bairstow’s controversial dismissal just isn’t cricket – here are the English greats who say he’s wrong: ‘There’s nothing to complain about’
- Stokes criticized the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s
- Some big names in English cricket think the dismissal was fair
- Australia took a 2-0 lead in the Ashes
England skipper Ben Stokes said he ‘wouldn’t want to win that way’ after Alex Carey’s controversial fall on Jonny Bairstow – but many big names in English cricket believe the team have nothing to complain about .
Pat Cummins’ side took a 2-0 lead in the Ashes on a day the MCC had to apologize after Australian players were abused by members of Lord’s Long Room following the incident.
Stokes had a brilliant century and threatened to deliver a stunning win in England in front of a rowdy Lord crowd, but was fired for 155 with England still 70 away from their target. The tourists went on to claim a 43-race victory.
Controversy erupted in the late morning when England batsman Bairstow came out of his crease at the end of an over – believing the ball was dead – only to be subsequently eliminated by Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
As Bairstow reluctantly returned to the iconic Lord’s Pavilion, England fans flooded Australia with boos – setting off what turned out to be the most feverish atmosphere the home of cricket has probably ever seen.
Cricket fans fumed as Jonny Bairstow was controversially debated by Alex Carey at Lord’s
Stokes accused the Aussies of forgetting the spirit of the game with Bairstow’s dismissal
“If the shoe was on the other foot, I would have put more pressure on the referees and asked if they called and thought deeply about the whole spirit of the game and if I wanted to do something like that,” Stokes said.
“For Australia, it was the moment of victory. Would I want to win a game like this? The answer is no,” he added.
However, several of England’s greatest cricketers had no problem with Carey’s downfall.
Former captain Mike Atherton said: “England have nothing to complain about, it was a sleepy bit of cricket from Jonny Bairstow.”
Another former England skipper, Nasser Hussain, described Carey’s decision as “ruthless, smart, lit”.
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.”
England commentator and former Middlesex skipper Isabelle Westbury said the stumping was fair and pointed out Ben Foakes’ controversial 2019 stumping of Andrew Balbirnie did not receive the same attention as Carey’s effort.
Meanwhile, Pat Cummins has admitted the stumping was premeditated, revealing Carey saw Bairstow leave his crease before the dismissal.
Former England captain Mike Atherton says England have nothing to complain about
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain described Carey’s controversial decision as ‘ruthless, smart, lit’
“I think Carey saw him come a few balls before, there was no pause. Catch him and throw him at the stumps,” he said.
“I thought it was totally fair play. I know some people disagree, but it’s like yesterday’s take. That’s how I saw it.
Cummins was unapologetic and adamant that Australia had made the right call, when asked if he considered the spirit of cricket.
“I thought it was fair. You see Jonny do it all the time. He did it day one at (David) Warner. He did it in 2019 at Steve (Smith). It’s one thing very common for keepers to do if they see a batter continuing to leave their territory,” said the Australia captain.
‘Caz (Carey) – full credit to him. He saw the opportunity a few balls ahead and rolled over the stumps. Jonny left his crease and we’ll leave the rest to the referees,’ Cummins added.