“Totally Fair Play”: Pat Cummins Explicitly Defines Jonny Bairstow’s Wicket At Lord’s

Australia captain Pat Cummins didn’t mince his words in describing England wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow‘s dismissal in the most recently concluded second Ashes 2023 Test match at Lord’s. Having not done anything untoward by either following a cricketing law or not withdrawing a legal appeal, Cummins justified Australia wicket-keeper Alex Carey‘s attempt to stump Bairstow.

A huge wicket which ended up playing a part in a 43-run English loss which now finds them trailing by 0-2 in a five-match Ashes series, Bairstow’s departure changed the mood of both England captain Ben Stokes and thousands of spectators present at the venue.

While Stokes went on to register a masterly 13th Test century in a losing cause, there was literally no end to fans’ booing for the visiting players. A hostile atmosphere inside the ground eventually resulted in security pulling back Australia opening batters Usman Khawaja and David Warner from members in the long room during the lunch break.

Pat Cummins Explicitly Defines Jonny Bairstow’s Wicket At Lord’s

Speaking to host broadcaster Sky Sports Cricket during the post-match presentation ceremony today, Cummins explicitly defined Bairstow’s wicket by stating how it was a well-observed and a well-planned dismissal by Carey which was well within the rules of the game.

“I think [Alex] Carey saw it a few balls previous, there was no pause, he catches it and throws it straight at the stumps. I thought it was totally fair play. That’s the rule. Some people might disagree [with it] but just like the catch yesterday, the rule is there and that is the way I saw it.”

Even though English fans had realized that Bairstow was at fault, they were unfairly expecting Cummins to withdraw an appeal and call back the batter under the undefined and subjective “Spirit of Cricket” clause. With Cummins not obliged to cater to any of those requests in a competitive international match, there was nothing wrong in either his or Carey’s decision to pick a crucial wicket.

Ben Stokes Would’ve Withdrawn Such An Appeal

At the suffering end on Sunday, Ben Stokes admitted to BBC Test Match Special after the match they he would’ve withdrawn the appeal had it happened under his watch. Stokes’ statement wasn’t surprising by any means considering how English players tend to lay more emphasis on “Spirit of Cricket”.

“Would I want to win a game in that manner? I think the answer for me is no.”

Being asked the same question by BBC TMS, Pat Cummins responded with an “Okay” without feeling the need to provide any more justification.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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