"I definitely would " - Alex Carey breaks his silence following Jonny Bairstow's runout
Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey has finally addressed the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow during the Ashes at Lord's. Carey acknowledged that the Australian team was well aware of Bairstow's tendency to leave his crease early and expressed surprise at the backlash their decision received.
After the incident, Australian players faced verbal abuse from spectators in the Lord's Long Room, leading to the suspension of three MCC members. Stuart Broad took the opportunity to taunt Carey, suggesting that he would only be remembered for the stumping incident. Despite this, Ben Stokes responded with an impressive innings of 155 runs in the match.
Nonetheless, Australia managed to secure a 43-run victory, extending their series lead to 2-0, which was later reduced to 2-1 following England's triumph at Headingley.
Carey addressed the criticism while speaking to The Guardian: "My first A-grade game in South Australia, I was out that way. And when I walked off, I was pretty disappointed. Captain came up to me, he said, ‘You’ll remember to keep your foot behind the line next time’.
Alex Carey had attempted similar dismissals in the past
Despite the backlash, Carey emphasized the unity within the Australian team and the support they receive. Explaining the stumping, Carey said, “If there was an opportunity to get a stumping, I definitely would."
Carey further disclosed that he had attempted similar dismissals in the past without success.
Throughout the series, Carey's exceptional wicketkeeping skills have drawn significant attention. He recorded four previous stumpings off Nathan Lyon and made crucial saves to prevent runs in matches against India in the World Test Championship final and at Edgbaston, earning praise for his contributions.
However, his batting performance suffered at Headingley, as he fell victim to Mark Wood and Chris Woakes.
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