London: On Fay Five of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, England’s wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow was run-out under controversial circumstances in the hosts’ chase of 317, leading to high drama at the iconic venue.
Bairstow was on 10 and England were 193/5 in the 52nd over when he ducked under a bouncer from Cameron Green and inadvertently walked out of his crease. On seeing this, Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey immediately directed an underarm throw after catching the delivery, and jumped in joy after firing an accurate throw towards the stumps.
It led to chaos in the middle as Bairstow believed the ball was dead, with Australia immediately going for an appeal. On-field umpires Ahsan Raza and Chris Gaffaney sent the decision upstairs, where TV umpire Marais Erasmus confirmed Bairstow’s dismissal.
On seeing the out decision, the Australian players celebrated while the crowd began to chant “same old Aussies, always cheating”, leading to the ‘spirit of cricket’ being reignited all over again. Before leaving the crease, Bairstow and captain Ben Stokes exchanged words with Australian players, as the duo were not happy with the decision.
But Bairstow’s lack of presence of mind in wandering out of the crease has also received a lot of attention. As per the laws of the game, Law 20.1.2 says, “The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.”
Commentators on air also felt the right decision was made in regard to Bairstow’s dismissal. “Carey doesn’t wait for Bairstow to walk out, he’s going to do that regardless. It doesn’t look good and people aren’t going to be happy about it, but it’s the right decision,” said former Australia captain Mark Taylor.
Former England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan, who led the team to 2019 ODI World Cup triumph, added that Carey showed smartness in run-out of Bairstow, but was left surprised over the crowd’s response, especially in booing Australia as the players left the field for the lunch break.
Visuals also showed that as the players entered the dressing room area for lunch, Australian openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner were confronted by spectators in Lord’s Long Room.
“Bairstow ducks, the ball is still active. He goes walking down the wicket and is out. It’s smart work by Carey. I’ve never seen scenes like that, particularly in the Long Room, never mind all the way around the ground.”
“There is a huge sense of frustration — I can’t understand why. It’s complete naivety around what has happened around Bairstow’s dismissal — he’s stumped!”
Ex-Ashes-winning Australia captain Ricky Ponting remarked that Bairstow is to be blamed for causing his own downfall. “It’s a stumping, not a run-out — enough said. Jonny did the wrong thing and he’s paid with losing his wicket in an Ashes Test match.”
At lunch, Stokes slammed a breathtaking 108 not out off 147 balls, with Stuart Broad giving him company at one not out, with 128 more runs left to chase down 371. Before Bairstow’s brain-fade, Ben Duckett was dismissed for a fine 83.
(IANS)
