Ben Stokes feels he would have reversed the appeal if his team had dismissed a player in the way in which Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow on the last day of a thrilling Lord’s Test. Australia won a tense Test by 43 runs, escaping a Stokes scare along the road, but Bairstow’s dismissal soon before lunch proved crucial.
Bairstow was given out after the third umpire was referred much to the chagrin of supporters and the English team. When asked about the incident, Australia captain Pat Cummins delivered a one-word reaction, referring to England skipper Ben Stokes’ statement that he would have withdrawn the appeal.
For Australia it was the match-winning moment: Ben Stokes
Speaking of the incident, Stokes had said: “When is it justified that the umpires have called over? Is the on-field umpires making movement, is that signifying over? I’m not sure. Jonny was in his crease then out of his crease. I am not disputing the fact it is out because it is out.”
“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 would I want to do something like that. For Australia, it was the match-winning moment. Would I want to win a game in that manner? The answer for me is no.”
Cummins said he thought the Bairstow incident was “fair play”. “That is the rule,” he said. “That is how I saw it.” “You see Jonny does it all the time,” Cummins said. “He did it on day one to Davey Warner. He did it in 2019 to Steve [Smith]. It’s a really common thing for keepers to do if they see about a batter keep leaving their crease. So Kez [Carey], full credit to him. He saw the opportunity. I think Jonny did it a few balls beforehand. Rolled it at the stumps. Jonny left his crease. You leave the rest to the umpires.”
Here’s how fans reacted
You either play the game within the laws or you don't. It is plain simple.
This spirit of the game crap is applied selectively and debates around it should stop…— Ramkrishna Iyer (@KannanK51531500) July 3, 2023
Chad Cummins ??
— Waqar Afridi (@WakaAfridi) July 2, 2023
OMG people are so thick – England didn’t appeal against the Starc ‘catch’
— Moo (@mitchylee69) July 2, 2023
It's great to see sportsmanship and fair play in cricket, and it's good to hear that Ben Stokes would have withdrawn his appeal if he had known that Bairstow wasn't out. #Ashes23 #ENGvsAUS #Ashes #Ashes2023
— Saurabh Mishra (@btwitssaurabh) July 2, 2023
England team and crowd deserved that ,cos of their double standards mindset ,iam happy ????
— Tejes (@Tejessathish) July 2, 2023
Karma always hits back.. Stokes didn't withdraw 4 overthrow runs in world cup final..
— Cskian_nimzy (@NIMISHDOSI) July 2, 2023
then why did stokes did not take back the 4 runs in wc final
— ?????? ???? ????? (@Dbajwa07) July 2, 2023
As much as I applaud the Aussies for standing their ground with this dismissal, they need to get their heads right for the run out at non strikers end too.
You can't pick and choose which rules are fair to play by and which go against the spirit of the game.— Sojal (@Lost_guy01) July 2, 2023
