After the 43-run defeat at Lord’s allowed Australia to take a 2-0 lead, their best-ever margin at the start of an Ashes competition away from home in more than 22 years, England captain Ben Stokes expressed his displeasure at the controversial stumble. Jonny Bairstow from Alex Carey just before lunch on the final day of the second Test.
Stokes said he would never want to win in this way if he was in Australia captain Pat Cummins’ shoes. While world cricket was divided over the incident, Stokes found support from British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“If the shoe was on the other foot, I would have put more pressure on the umpires and asked if they spoke up and thought deeply about the whole spirit of the game. Would I want to win the game that way? the answer for me is no,” Stokes told BCC moments after defeat.
Bairstow walked out of the crease after avoiding a short ball from Cameron Green, but with the ball still in play, Carey threw the ball onto the stumps to clear the bails. Bairstow was shell-shocked while loud boos from angry England fans created a hostile environment for the Aussies.
Despite the dismissal being in accordance with the laws of cricket, Sunak blamed Australia for the spirit of cricket debate over Bairstow’s dismissal.
Asked on Monday whether the British prime minister believed Australia’s action was unsportsmanlike, his spokesman said: “Yes”.
“The Prime Minister agrees with Ben Stokes. He said he just wouldn’t want to win the match like Australia,” the spokesman added.
Rishi Sunak’s unmissable Ashes verdict
The series was seen as a real test for Bazball, but the defending Test World Cup winners ended all talk of England’s Test cricket revolution as they took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series heading into the third. Test at Headingley to end the Ashes Urn Retention Contest. However, Sunak believes that the eventual outcome will be the opposite.
“But the game provided an opportunity to see Ben Stokes at his best and it was an incredible Test match. They believe England will bounce back at Headingley (in the third Test),” the spokesman said.
