"Don't they have any other work?" - Salman Butt on Australia and UK Prime Ministers reacting to Jonny Bairstow's dismissal in 2nd Ashes 2023 Test
Salman Butt recently questioned the Prime Ministers of Australia and the United Kingdom for sharing their opinions on Jonny Bairstow's contentious stumping in the recently concluded second Ashes 2023 Test at Lord's.
The former Pakistan captain suggested that instead of throwing blame at Australia, the UK Prime Minister should acknowledge their efforts. He also questioned whether the PMs have any other work to do rather than jumping on the spirit of the game debate.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Salman Butt remarked:
"The Prime Ministers have also jumped into the debate over the spirit of the game following the second Test. The question we all should ask him is, 'Don't they have any other work to do?'. You watch the entire Test match first, and then if your team loses, simply applaud the superior team."
Incidentally, after Australia's 43-run win at Lord's, a spokesperson for Rishi Sunak stated that the Prime Minister agreed with Ben Stokes's opinion, who during the post-match presentation, stated that he wouldn't want to win a game like this.
Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott also slammed the Australian team, demanding a public apology from Pat Cummins and Co.
Salman Butt, however, disagreed with Boycott's opinion. Making it clear that Australia don't need to give any apologies for their actions, the 38-year-old stated:
"Geoffrey Boycott, a very senior player, has demanded a public apology from Australia. Why should Australia apologize? You should instead make your own players aware of his mistake. Why did he leave his crease after ducking a ball?"
Notably, England failed to chase down a 371-run target at Lord's, suffering a heartbreaking defeat. With the win, Australia now have taken a 2-0 lead in the ongoing five-match Ashes series.
"Jonny Bairstow himself inflicted a similar stumping in County Cricket" - Salman Butt
Salman Butt further pointed out that England's Jonny Bairstow stumped a batter in controversial fashion in the past. The keeper inflicted a delayed stumping to dismiss Samit Patel in County Cricket, waiting for the batter to lift his leg after leaving a ball.
The cricketer-turned-pundit also highlighted that while the likes of Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad, and coach Brendon McCullum have criticized Australia, they have all been involved in controversial dismissals in the past.
"Jonny Bairstow himself inflicted a similar stumping in County Cricket," Butt stated. "He waited for Samit Patel to lift his leg and then proceeded to dislodge the bails. Alex Carey, on the other hand, did not wait. He threw the ball instantly. Bairstow had kept his glove near the stumps, waiting for Patel's leg to be in the air."
"This same England team ran Colin de Grandhomme out during an LBW appeal last year," he added. "It was the same captain, and the same Stuart Broad was bowling. Furthermore, England's coach Brendon McCullum himself ran out Muttiah Muralitharan controversially when he left the crease after completing a run to congratulate Kumar Sangakkara for completing a century. These same people have done such things with others in the past."
The third Ashes 2023 Test between Australia and England is scheduled to be played at Headingley in Leeds from Thursday, July 6.