Jonny Bairstow Ashes argument shut down in iconic umpire's telling move
The explosive English debate has been silenced with eight telling questions.
Iconic Aussie umpire Simon Taufel has destroyed England's argument around the Jonny Bairstow furore, with a telling eight-question move. The stumping of the England batter by Alex Carey has sent the cricket world into meltdown, with every man and his dog weighing in on the controversy.
Former England captains Michael Vaughan, Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain and Andrew Strauss are among those to side with the Aussies in declaring the Bairstow dismissal perfectly legal. However, the debate has inevitably shifted to a question of whether it was in "the spirit of cricket" and whether Pat Cummins' men should have upheld their appeal.
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Taufel knows a thing or two about cricket, having officiated 74 Tests and been named ICC Umpire of the Year five consecutive times from 2004-2008. Now a member of the MCC Rules Committee, the respected former umpire has taken to social media in an attempt to end the English argument once and for all.
Iconic umpire shreds England's Ashes argument
“Was Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal at Lords a breach of the Spirit of Cricket?” Taufel wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “This is a question I have been inundated with, so I thought it best to share my thoughts publicly by asking everyone a question or eight to consider," he added.
Have you seen any umpire tell a fielding side that the keeper standing back is not allowed to attempt a stumping?
Was there a complaint from anyone when Bairstow tried to stump Marnus exactly the same way in the first innings?
What has Jonny Bairstow said about his dismissal? He has been very quiet. Why? “4. My experience is when people don’t like a dismissal under the Laws of Cricket, they cite the Spirit of Cricket to support their view.
Which part of the codified Preamble (the Spirit of Cricket) was breached by the fielding side?
What did the fielding side do in effecting a legitimate dismissal that unfairly impacted the ability of the batter in their attempt not to be dismissed? (Did they run into him or distract him or prevent him making good his ground?)
Should a batter be immune from dismissal as per the Laws by simply being negligent (and leaving his ground too early)?
Did England retire Ben Duckett when they disagreed with the Starc catch decision as per the Laws and umpires’ decision?
“The hypocrisy and lack of consistency from some people and groups is quite interesting and concerning for the future of our game," he added. Maybe I am the odd one out here? The good news is that we are actively engaged with Test cricket, the best form of the game."
Spicy scenes expected for third Test at Headingley
The Lord's drama threatens to spill over for the third Test that begins in Leeds on Thursday night (AEST). Australia's players have already requested security to be beefed up after reports family members - including Steve Smith's mum - were abused by fans in the stands at Lord's.
England have made three changes to their starting XI at Headingley, with Moeen Ali, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes coming in for Ollie Pope (injured), James Anderson and Josh Tongue (both dropped). Australia look set to announce their side closer to the coin toss, with spinner Todd Murphy expected to come in for the injured Nathan Lyon.
Cummins has indicated there could be further changes to Australia's attack, depending how the bowlers pull up. Josh Hazlewood looms as the most likely quick to drop out, with Scott Boland and Michael Neser waiting in the wings. There is also plenty of speculation Mitch Marsh could be set for a stunning Test recall after a four-year absence from the side after fellow all-rounder Cam Green was a notable absentee at the team's Wednesday training session.
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