Michael Atherton, Mark Taylor and Kumar Sangakkara say Jonny Bairstow's controversial stumping at Lord's did not breach the 'spirit of cricket' - "If Pat Cummins had called Bairstow back I think it would have set a very bad precedent"
Saturday 8 July 2023 13:50, UK
Did Jonny Bairstow's controversial stumpings at Lord's breach the spirit of cricket?
Not according to Sky Sports pundits Michael Atherton, Mark Taylor and Kumar Sangakkara, who gave their views on the moment that has dominated the sporting agenda over recent days.
England batter Bairstow wandered out of his crease after Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey had thrown the ball and was ruled out when it went on to hit his stumps.
The spirit of the game is down to people’s personal opinions and feelings, there is no law around it. So many batsmen and cricketers interpret spirit of the game in their own way.
Australia captain Pat Cummins did not withdraw his appeal and said ahead of the ongoing third Test at Headingley that his side had done "nothing wrong" but maintained he "one hundred per cent" believes in the spirit of cricket.
Here are the views of the Sky Sports panel…
"I think the spirit of cricket is encompassed very clearly in the fact that you play the game fairly, play it hard and within the laws. If you respect the laws and are happy to leave decision-making to the umpires, then the umpires are the final arbiters anyway.
"If you nick it and don't walk you say, 'that is the umpire's decision'. I don't see any infraction to the spirit of cricket and you can't unilaterally dictate how other people play their cricket.
"You can't be the arbiters of the spirit of cricket as one side because different cultures and how you grew up playing the game really matters. We have to be clear no one broke the spirit of cricket.
"If Cummins had called Bairstow back I think it would have set a very bad precedent.
"If another side that respects the laws, respects the game, decides not to call the batter back, you can't have sides coming back and saying, 'that not how you play the game'.
"There is room for people to play cricket their own way. If that's where England draw the line that's fine but each side can play cricket the way they want."
"I remember seeing Rod Marsh would do it when Dennis Lillee bowled. He would flick the ball back towards the stumps just in case the batsman stumbled out of his crease. I never saw him get a wicket like that but wicketkeepers do it all the time, Bairstow has done it on a number of occasions.
"When Carey threw the ball, Bairstow was in his crease so he was taking a punt that he might stumble out. He did, so the fault lies with Bairstow. As a batsman, you need to protect your wicket.
"Cummins, if he had wanted to, could have withdrawn that appeal. I don't think he needed to but by not doing it, it doesn't necessarily mean he hasn't played the game in the right spirit. What he has done is said, 'I'll let the laws dictate and let the umpires decide'.
"The natural thing for a batter is to look round and if it's the end of the over, you nod to the keeper or captain as if to say, 'am I okay?' If you nod, they say that's fine and then they break down the stumps that would be completely contrary to the spirit of the game."
"The law is unequivocal. It is not for Bairstow to make a unilateral decision that the ball is dead. The umpires did not consider it dead as they took the decision upstairs to the third umpire.
"Carey got rid of the ball within one second and in one movement flicked it towards the stumps knowing Bairstow would be out of his ground as he had been before. It was the correct decision and the laws were upheld."
