New Delhi [India], July 5 : Legendary umpire Simon Taufel did not shy away from giving his opinion regarding Australia's stumping of Jonny Bairstow on the final day of the second Ashes Test at Lord's and said: "Hypocrisy and lack of consistency from some people and groups are quite interesting."
"Was Jonny Bairstow's dismissal at Lords a breach of the Spirit of Cricket?" Taufel, a former umpire, wrote in a post on LinkedIn as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
No amount of wrangling by the English players and their media would change the reality that Australia was perfectly within the bounds of the game to achieve the stumping, according to Taufel.
"This is a question I have been inundated with, so I thought it best to share my thoughts publicly by asking everyone a question or eight to consider ...
"Have you seen any umpire tell a fielding side that the keeper standing back is not allowed to attempt a stumping? Was there a complaint from anyone when Bairstow tried to stump Marnus exactly the same way in the first innings? What has Jonny Bairstow said about his dismissal? He has been very quiet. Why? My experience is when people don't like a dismissal under the Laws of Cricket, they cite the Spirit of Cricket to support their view. Which part of the codified Preamble (the Spirit of Cricket) was breached by the fielding side? What did the fielding side do in effecting a legitimate dismissal that unfairly impacted the ability of the batter in their attempt not to be dismissed? (Did they run into him or distract him or prevent him from making good his ground?) Should a batter be immune from dismissal as per the Laws by simply being negligent (and leaving his ground too early)? Did England retire Ben Duckett when they disagreed with the Starc catch decision as per the Laws and umpires' decision?
"The hypocrisy and lack of consistency from some people and groups is quite interesting and concerning for the future of our game. Maybe I am the odd one out here? The good news is that we are actively engaged with Test cricket, the best form of the game," he ended.
The dismissal on the final day of the second Test, which Australia ultimately won by 43 runs despite an outstanding 155 from Ben Stokes, infuriated the home team. During this moment, Australian wicket-keeper Carey practically displayed 'smart work' as he knocked the bails off the stump as English batter Bairstow was out of his crease with a direct throw.
Bairstow in dilemma, walked back to the pavilion after scoring 10 runs off 22 balls while hitting two boundaries.
Bairstow left the final ball of Cameron Green's over alone to the wicketkeeper and started walking outside the crease assuming the ball was dead. However, an alert Carey realised there was an opportunity to run the batter out and effected a directed hit at the striker's end to catch Bairstow well short.
In what could be a defining moment in the series, Bairstow was left fuming as the Aussies celebrated around him.
The controversy over Bairstow's dismissal has only grown as the series goes to Headingley on Thursday, despite Australia going on to win the Lord's Test by 43 runs and taking a 2-0 lead in the Ashes.
Australia captain Pat Cummins defended his decision to appeal for the wicket, but Ben Stokes, the captain of England, claimed he wouldn't want to win that way. The teams won't be having a beer together anytime soon, according to England's coach Brendon McCullum, and the manner of the dismissal will energize his team for the remainder of the series.
The third Test of the Ashes series between Australia and England will take place in Leeds from July 6.
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