England wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow‘s (10) dismissal on the final day of the ongoing second Ashes 2023 Test match against Australia at Lord’s has sparked a debate with respect to whether he was run out or not. Not expecting to be dismissed in such a way, Bairstow flirting with the laws of sport led to him walking back to the pavilion.
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It all happened on the last delivery of the 52nd over when Bairstow ducked under a short ball from Australia all-rounder Cameron Green. While there was nothing wicket-taking about the delivery, Bairstow opting to take a casual stroll on the pitch motivated wicket-keeper Alex Carey to attempt a direct-hit. With Carey not faltering from behind, Bairstow was given out with him being way out of the crease.
Was Jonny Bairstow Run Out At Lord’s?
Even though Bairstow could’ve have left the crease with no intention of sneaking a run, his act wasn’t in accordance with the laws of cricket. As a result, Carey was well within his right to try for a run-out. The fact that he didn’t even wait for a split second before throwing the ball back to the stumps further validates his effort.
In the general run of things, batters wait for the ball to be “dead” before leaving their crease. Alternatively, some batters also signal such a move to the square leg umpire to make it clear that they aren’t interested in a single. In such a situation, batters mostly leave the crease to either clear any particle on the pitch or talk to their non-striker.
Bairstow, who just made a gesture with his left foot, didn’t care about looking at either the umpire or any of the Australian fielder. Hence, he has no one but himself to blame for his dismissal. However, it was a stumping dismissal and not a run out.
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— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 2, 2023
Colin De Grandhomme Run Out At Lord’s
It is worth mentioning that it was in the same month at the same venue last year when former New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme was run-out by current England vice-captain Ollie Pope in a similar manner.
Missing out on a flick against veteran England pacer Stuart Broad‘s in-swinger, de Grandhomme was out of his crease when Pope, standing in the slips, nailed a direct-hit to put an end to the right-handed batter’s one-ball knock. You can watch the video by clicking here.
Just like that dismissal was legal under the laws of the game, there was nothing wrong with Bairstow’s dismissal as well.
