Team India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has backed Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey and lauded his game presence during the Lord’s Test in the 2023 Ashes. Alex Carey’s stumping to dismiss England batter Jonny Bairstow on the fifth day of the test has sparked the “spirit of the game” debate once again.
Jonny Bairstow ducked a bouncer from Cameron Green and immediately walked out of his crease to have a chat with his skipper Ben Stokes, who was at the non-striker’s end. The batters usually confirm with the wicketkeeper or slip cordon that the ball is dead before leaving the crease. However, Bairstow walked out in a leisurely manner. Sensing the opportunity, Alex Carey stumped out the England batter.
The dismissal has sparked a debate among fans and experts. Indian skipper Ravichandran Ashwin has backed Alex Carey. He took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the incident. Ravichandran Ashwin wrote,
“We must get one fact loud and clear, The keeper would never have a dip at the stumps from that far out in a test match unless he or his team have noticed a pattern of the batter leaving his crease after leaving a ball like Bairstow did. We must applaud the game smarts of the individual rather than skewing it towards unfair play or spirit of the game.”
We must get one fact loud and clear
“The keeper would never have a dip at the stumps from that far out in a test match unless he or his team have noticed a pattern of the batter leaving his crease after leaving a ball like Bairstow did.”
We must applaud the game smarts of… https://t.co/W59CrFZlMa
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) July 2, 2023
I thought it was totally fair play: Pat Cummins
Australian skipper Pat Cummins expressed that Alex Carey’s stumping to dismiss Jonny Bairstow was fair play. He added that there will be disagreements, but the dismissal is within the rules of the game. The 20.12 law states,
“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.”
Following the Lord’s Test, Pat Cummins said, “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,”
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