"Didn’t feel great as Jonny wasn’t trying to take advantage" - Stuart Broad defends ex-England teammate in 2023 Ashes stumping row
Retired England cricketer Stuart Broad has defended Jonny Bairstow in the infamous stumping row involving Alex Carey in the Lord's Test of the 2023 Ashes series. The 37-year-old said that the right-hander wasn't trying to take any advantage and predicts Cummins to realise his mistake sometime in the future.
With an interesting Day 5 brewing between the two sides, Carey effected a smart stumping after Bairstow had ducked a bouncer from Cameron Green. After Bairstow had walked out of the crease, his Australian counterpart underarmed the ball to the stumps to catch Bairstow short. The decision went to the third umpire, who ruled it out, leaving the crowd and England dressing room furious.
Speaking to The Guardian, Broad reckons Australia didn't do anything wrong on that occasion but opined that Bairstow was given out unjustly.
"All the Aussies are still pulling the line that it was the right thing to do. I’m not saying it was the wrong thing to do because in the rules of the game maybe it was out. But it just didn’t feel great as Jonny wasn’t trying to take advantage.
"I hope there’s mutual respect between myself and the Aussies. I said certain things to (Australia’s captain) Pat Cummins in the heat of battle, which I didn’t mean. I like Pat a lot, but my gut feeling is that when he writes a book after he finishes playing, he’ll probably think that Lord’s incident was a mistake."
At the post-match presentation of that game, Cummins lauded Carey for spotting it on previous occasions and staying alert to dismiss Bairstow. By contrast, Ben Stokes suggested that he wouldn't have done had he been in Cummins' shoes. Stokes struck a valiant 155, but England lost the Test.
"I can’t put my finger on what’s happened" - Stuart Broad on England's World Cup campaign
Speaking of England's failure to defend their World Cup crown, Broad reckons they have not become a poor team overnight. However, he suggested that the team could have a new look, moving forward:
"They’ve not become a bad team overnight. They beat New Zealand before going out to India. The pitches haven’t played badly. From watching on TV, it’s one of those tough periods where it feels like every time we bat, the ball moves around.
"But every time we bowl, it’s not moving. I can’t put my finger on what’s happened. But having gone out of the World Cup so early, I think there will be a natural progression where Matthew Mott and Jos Buttler really put their stamp on the side. It will almost be the natural complete break-up of Eoin Morgan’s team."
England are languishing at the bottom of the points table with just one victory in seven games.