Australian wicketkeeper Alex CareyHis presence of mind and alertness has been a bitter pill for him and his team, though his awareness has fetched him wickets. Johnny BairstowJoe stepped out of his crease while the ball was still in play but has been subjected to boos and chants of cheating from the English crowd following the events of the fifth day of the Lord’s Ashes Test.
Bairstow misjudged that the ball was dead as soon as he released it and reached the keeper and walked out of his crease only to see Carey shatter his stumps. The wicket-keeper was well within his rights to make such a stumping and the final decision angered England fans, former cricketers and captain Ben Stokes.
Now more than a day after the incident, former New Zealand cricketer Grant Elliott has shared a devastating video evidence that Bairstow had left his crease on multiple occasions and was a repeat offender. As soon as he missed a ball or ducked under a bouncer, Bairstow left his crease and walked without checking with the wicketkeeper or umpire whether the ball was dead or not, and eventually lost his wicket.
Watch video here:
Since the incident, the ‘spirit of cricket’ debate has been fueled by England captain Stokes and followed by coach Brendon McCullum, the English media and even the UK Prime Minister.
However, what Carey did was within the laws and he was eventually let off right. England hoped that Bairstow could repeat his Edgbaston heroics against India last year, but it did not happen. Despite his dismissal, England were still in the game and Stokes was at his best before being dismissed for 155. England fell short by 43 runs and Australia now lead the five-match series 2-0.