 "England's Jonny Bairstow was controversially dismissed by Alex Carey of Australia during the second Ashes Test at Lord's last year. Reuters")
Former England captain Joe Root has admitted that Jonny Bairstow’s controversial dismissal on Day five of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s last year was in fact a legal one, adding that Bairstow should have stayed at the crease.
It was exactly a year ago when England’s Jonny Bairstow was controversially and infamously stumped by Australia’s Alex Carey during the second Test. It was a short ball from Cameron Green and Jonny Bairstow ducked on that occasion, but wicketkeeper Alex Carey was quick to notice that Bairstow had stepped out of the crease and soon dismantled the stumps.
The dismissal opened up a Spirit of Cricket discussion among members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), with a few members in the Long Room allegedly hurling abuses at Australian players as they walked through the Long Room.
“Initially I was quite angry, but I think when you’re involved in the game it’s very difficult to put yourself in the other position,” Root said on the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) documentary The Ashes 2023: Our Take. The documentary was released on Tuesday.
“So I’d like to say I would have dealt with it differently, but I could very easily have done the same thing.
“At the end of the day, it’s within the laws of the game. You should be aware as a player. Jonny will hate me saying this, but if you stay in your crease you can’t get given out can you?,” added the 33 year-old.
Bairstow’s dismissal proved to be a turning point during the second Ashes Test. England, looking to chase down 371, were 193/5 following Bairstow’s dismissal and were dismissed for 327 despite valiant efforts from skipper Ben Stokes (155) and Ben Duckett (83). The five-match Test series ended 2-2, with the Aussies retaining the urn.