The England fast-bowler cited the controversial Jonny Bairstow stumping at Lord's to insist the Australians haven't really gone through a moral transformation since sandpaper gate.
Stuart Broad retains a disgusted look about Australia’s decision to uphold their stumping appeal against Jonny Bairstow on Day 5 of the Lord’s Ashes 2023 Test. The England fast-bowler is convinced the visitors breached the unwritten ‘spirit of cricket’ in putting the home wicketkeeper-batter through the scanner for needlessly meandering outside the crease.
Bairstow was out stumped by his counterpart Alex Carey in one motion after the batter ducked a bouncer from Cameron Green and curiously stepped beyond the white line. Sensing an opportunity, Carey threw the ball back at the stumps and erupted in a loud appeal, before the TV umpire confirmed the right-hander’s rookie, basic error.
The English camp, however, wasn’t one bit pleased about the Australians appealing for the stumping, with skipper Ben Stokes later stating he would’ve preferred winning in a fairer manner. Bairstow, as he walked out, was visibly dismayed over the decision while Broad’s face, too, told a thousand words.
The veteran quick noted those down in a column for the ‘Daily Mail’ after the Test match and wrote he couldn’t believe not a single Australian player considered revoking the appeal against Bairstow, reiterating the rather convenient English inclination towards ‘spirit of cricket’ when all the Aussies did was to subject the batter to the laws.
“What amazed me, and what I told the Australians I could not believe as we left the field at lunch, was that not one senior player among them … questioned what they had done,” Broad wrote in his column.
“Especially given what their team has been through over recent years, with all their cultural change. Not one of them said: ‘Hang on, lads. I’m not really sure about this.’ Not one of them thought: ‘He’s gaining no advantage. He’s not trying to get a run. It’s the end of the over. It’s a bit of a random dismissal. We should cancel that appeal.'”
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After coach Brendon McCullum hinted the incident would galvanise England in their quest to bounce back from 2-0 series scoreline, Broad insisted skipper Pat Cummins and his men will “regret” their decision. Along the lines, the England seamer also questioned if the Australian ethos have really changed since the controversial ‘ball-tampering’ saga.
“Ultimately, Pat Cummins is a really great guy and I would be amazed, once the emotion settles, if he does not sit back and think, ‘I got that one wrong’, even though his bottom line at the time was winning a Test match,” Broad wrote.
“I just said to Pat on repeat: ‘All these boos are for you, for your decision.’ And: ‘What a great opportunity you had to think clearly’.”
Broad also posed a defence against question marks raised on England’s camp for showcasing hypocrisy in the matter since Bairstow himself tried to mimic Carey earlier in the Test and intended to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne in an exact fashion.
The fast bowler said Bairstow was trying to dismiss Labuschagne for “seeking an advantage” and there was no such intentions from him when he was the receiving end of the Carey stumping.
“Yes, I have seen a clip from earlier in the match when in his guise as wicketkeeper, Jonny himself threw the ball at the stumps. But that was because Marnus Labuschagne was batting outside of his crease — in doing so, attempting to take the lbw out of the game. In other words, seeking an advantage,” he added.
