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It’s been just a few days since the controversy surrounding the Jonny Bristow controversy began at Lord’s. However, the fire that was kindled was not yet extinguished. The build-up to the third Ashes 2023 Test at Headingley in Leeds was as much about Bairstow’s dismissal as it was about the performances of both teams.
While England attacked Australia, alleging poor sportsmanship, the Australians stuck to the “play by the rules” theory. Not only players from both teams, but coaches and former cricketers have also joined in the heated controversy. Fans and journalists weren’t far behind, pulling old clips to prove their point depending on which side of the fence they were on.
The chilling feelings are likely to be felt when England face Australia in the Third Test, which begins at Headlingley on Thursday, 6 July.
It remains to be seen whether the controversy unites England or acts as a distraction.
What the captain had to say about the Bairstow controversy before the Headingley Test
Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins has stuck to the position that the visitors have no qualms about the way Bristow stumbled in the second Ashes 2023 Test at Lord’s.
Speaking ahead of the Headingley Test, he confirmed that the controversy was not bothering his team.
Cummins confirmed:
“It doesn’t really bother me to be honest. The way our team have run themselves over the last couple of years has been impeccable. It came out again on day five at Lourdes. The way they ran themselves in the long room was fantastic.
he added:
“The underarm (bowling) incident (in 1981) was talked about this week. How far do you want to go back? We’ve all moved on. The team didn’t do anything wrong, so we’re all comfortable. I don’t think that’s the point of cricket (silencing some People withdraw appeal).
England captain Ben Stokes, on the other hand, admitted the best thing to do about Bristow’s row was to walk away from it.
He did, however, back the goalkeeper to use recent developments as a catalyst for an important performance at Headingley in the must-win Test for England.
Stokes said:
“Johnny’s fine. We’ve seen in the past that after any kind of self-criticism, he always manages to do something. If he uses what happened last week as some kind of inspiration to get the best out of himself, who knows?”
Follow the England captain:
“I said before training that whatever you have to do as individuals, do it. I don’t think we can motivate more as a group than we have. There was a lot of noise around the incident at Lord’s but the best thing everyone can do is move on.”
Bairstow scored scores of 78, 20, 16 and 10 in the two Test matches played so far.
Ponting slams Broad by commenting he ‘didn’t live the life of an angel’
England baser Stuart Broad, who came in at the fall of Bairstow’s wicket at Lord’s in the fifth over, was on a rampage, batting in the Aussies, Carey in particular.
After telling the goalkeeper that Bairstow’s stunt was the only thing he would remember, Broad was scathing in his criticism of the Australians in his column for the Daily Mail.
However, Australian legend Ricky Ponting gave the Englishman a reality check.
Ponting said in the ICC review:
“Stuart Broad also has a very short memory. He didn’t live the life of an angel every time he walked onto the cricket field either. If you look at some of the things he did (on the fifth day) on the field, I think you might suggest that was out of the spirit of the game.” Cricket too.”
Wide refused to walk after besting Ashton Agar’s delivery to Michael Clarke at first slip during the 2013 Ashes.
Umpire View: Simon Taufel chips in
Not only players and analysts, but also referees joined the discussion around Bairstow. Former ICC elite umpire Simon Tovell, also a member of the MCC Laws Subcommittee, was clear in his assessment that Australia had not breached the spirit of cricket.
In a post on Linkedin, he raised several related questions about the controversy and opined:
“The hypocrisy and inconsistency of some people and groups is interesting and troubling about the future of our game. Perhaps I am the odd one out here? The good news is that we are actively involved in Test cricket, which is the best form of the game.”
The scale of the controversy reached a different level when the prime ministers of the two countries – Rishi Sunak and Anthony Albanese – joined in and supported them.
Certainly, the repercussions of Bairstow’s shake-up at Lord’s will be seen in Headingley, too.
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