"I thought it was totally fair play" - Pat Cummins on the controversial Jonny Bairstow dismissal on Day 5 of the Second Ashes Test
Australian skipper Pat Cummins defended Alex Carey's controversial stumping of England batsman Jonny Bairstow at the tail end of the first session on Day 5 of the second Ashes Test at Lord's.
The 33-year-old was dismissed in an outlandish manner for a personal score of 10 during England's run-chase of 371, raising several questions about the laws and spirit of the game.
Bairstow ducked under a short delivery and very soon, walked out of his crease. Meanwhile, Carey, after collecting the ball, instead of passing it on to another fielder, whipped a throw at the stumps, catching Bairstow short of his ground.
The Aussies decided to appeal, and the third umpire ruled in their favor since it wasn't deemed a dead ball yet.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Cummins, when asked to comment on the matter, gave his verdict on the dismissal.
"I think Carey saw it a few balls previous, there was no pause, he catches it and throws it straight at the stumps. I thought it was totally fair play. That’s the rule, some people might disagree but just like the catch yesterday, the rule is there and that is the way I saw it," said Cummins.
Here is a video of Pat Cummins talking about the Bairstow dismissal:
Pat Cummins said Alex Carey noticed Jonny Bairstow was leaving the crease early and felt the wicket was 'totally fair play'. https://t.co/JywX4XJLnQ
The dismissal did not go down well with the packed crowd, who booed the Australian team for the rest of the game, including during the presentation ceremony.
Despite the divided opinions about the dismissal from experts and fans alike, the playing conditions for a dead ball indicate the stumping to be fair play.
20.1.2 The ball shall be considered dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.
In addition to this, law 20.2 also states:
Whether the ball is finally settled or not is a matter for the umpire alone to decide.
"Stokesy gave us some nervous moments" - Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins admitted to having some nerve-wracking moments when England skipper Ben Stokes went all guns blazing in his incredible knock of 155 on Day 5 of the second Test.
Chasing an improbable target of 371, England were reduced to 193/6 before lunch. That's when Stokes launched a brutal assault on the Aussie bowlers. The great all-rounder reached his century with a six and produced a sensational seventh-wicket partnership of 108 with Stuart Broad.
"Another wonderful game, right down to the wire. Crowd seems to enjoy it. Stokesy gave us some nervous moments. A world class player like him, you start thinking the boundaries are too small. There wasn’t much in the surface as well. We tried to stay patient, have the field out and stuck with it. Happy to go 2-0 up," said Cummins.
Unfortunately for the hosts, Stokes could not repeat the heroics from Headingley four years ago as he fell for a breathtaking 155. He was caught by Alex Carey off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood, with the side still needing 70 runs to win.
The rest of the tail was dislodged without much drama as Australia emerged victorious by 43 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
Cummins also praised star off-spinner Nathan Lyon for walking out to bat on Day 4 despite carrying a calf injury.
"These were perfect conditions for him on Day 5, to win without him was a great win. I wasn’t too happy to see him walk out to bat, but he was keen to get out there. He did amazing and those 15-20 runs were crucial. (On whether Nathan Lyon is ruled out) I think so, but we have Todd Murphy who did an amazing job in India, so he will be sticking around for us," added Cummins.
The star off-spinner was seen holding his right calf in pain after attempting a catch at fine-leg in the final session of Day 2 before being taken off the field immediately.
The injury turned out to be serious and ruled out any participation by Lyon in the field or with the ball. However, he came out limping to bat and added 15 runs with Mitchell Starc for the last wicket in Australia's second innings.
The focus now shifts to the third Test of the enthralling series that begins in four days, starting July 6 at Headingley.