Ashish Ranjan
England captain Ben Stokes scored 155 runs in 214 deliveries on the fifth day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, almost single-handedly bringing his team close to the mammoth 371-run target set by Australia. In the end, the World Test Champions prevailed by 43 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the Ashes.
The day’s other major discussion point wasn’t Stokes’s superb innings. Jonny Bairstow, who accompanied his captain upon Ben Duckett’s dismissal, was caught in unusual circumstances. With England requiring an additional 194 runs to win, the sixth wicket partnership between Stokes and Bairstow was vital for the home team. However, they were only able to score 16 runs together because the wicketkeeper-batsman was stumped by Alex Carey off Cameron Green’s delivery.
Bairstow avoided the bouncer bowled by the Australian all-rounder in the final delivery of the 52nd over with relative ease. As the England batter left his crease for the change of ends, he did not glance back. However, the ball was still in play, and Carey executed a composed underarm delivery to the wickets.
Bairstow was stumped out, which sparked a heated debate among cricket fans who felt Pat Cummins and Co. should have withdrawn the appeal and summoned the right-handed batter back in order to maintain the integrity of the game. Others, however, believed that the visiting team did nothing illegal. After the game, Stokes discussed the controversial moment, acknowledging that it was out but also stating that he would have considered the spirit of the game if he were Australia.
“At the end of the day, nothing remained. But if the situation were reversed, I would have considered the essence of the game. “We must simply move forward,” the southpaw stated during the post-game presentation.
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It’s the law, so it’s completely fair: Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins, captain of Australia, also commented on the incident. The right-arm pacer stated that wicketkeeper Alex Carey had witnessed a similar incident in the past and noted that the dismissal is permitted by the game’s rules.
“Carey has witnessed this before, it’s in the statutes, and it’s completely legal. “That’s how I saw it,” said Cummins at the conclusion of the contest.Law 20.1.2 states that the ball was not deceased. The law specifies:
“The ball shall be considered dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding team and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.”
