Watch: England Fans Fired Up In Ashes As Alex Carey, Who Stumped Jonny Bairstow, Is Booed

06.07.2023 - 16:43 sports.ndtv.com

"This is going to be wild," laughed Australia cricket fan Joel Guy as he stepped into the Headingley bear pit on Thursday for the latest chapter of an increasingly bitter Ashes series.

From an hour before play, England fans in Leeds, northern England, were champing at the bit to let Australia's players know how they felt about the incident on the final day of the second Test at Lord's on Sunday that brought a previously good-natured series to boiling point.

Jonny Bairstow was controversially stumped by Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey, sparking accusations of breaking the "spirit of cricket" and causing a diplomatic incident, with the prime ministers of both countries weighing in.

Guy said he felt the incident was "pretty poor" by Australia captain Pat Cummins, but added there was "definitely some hypocrisy" from England, with Bairstow having previously attempted "something similar." The incident riled up a Lord's crowd usually known for its reserve, with MCC members even heckling the Australian players as they went to the dressing rooms.

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The ongoing Ashes series between England and Australia will be remembered for the cut-throat competition and intense game of cricket. Apart from all this, one thing which will definitely be considered among the biggest highlights of the series is the controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow by Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey during the second Ashes Test at Lord's. The incident took place on Day 4 of the second Test when Bairstow wandered out of the crease after ducking a Cameron Green's bouncer, thinking the ball was dead. Carey took advantage of the situation and made a direct hit onto the stumps.

Watch: Ishan Kishan's Cheeky Stumping Attempt vs Jason Holder Almost Forces A Jonny Bairstow-like Situation

Since the Jonny Bairstow incident in the second Ashes Test, where the England batter was cheekily stumped by Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey at Lord's, there has been a lot of discussion on the 'rules of the game' vs 'spirit if cricket' debate. A similar situation almost arose on the third day of the first Test between India and West Indies in Dominica on Friday. Test debutant wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan attempted cheeky stumpings of Jason Holder off Ravindra Jadeja's bowling. However, the Bairstow-like dismissals were avoided.

"He Bairstow Maan, He Out Maan": Ravichandran Ashwin Recalls Fan's 'Ashes' Chat With Rahul Dravid

The incident involving Jonny Bairstow and Alex Carey in the second Ashes Test at Lord's has left the cricket fraternity divided. Carey controversially stumped Bairstow as he wandered out of left his crease after ducking a short ball from Cameron Green. The incident sparked a debate about the balance between the 'laws of cricket' and the 'spirit of the game'. India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had also shared his views on Bairstow's dismissal, praising Carey for showing great presence of mind.

Stokes heroics drag England back into Ashes test

LEEDS, England :Captain Ben Stokes continued to perform heroics as he single-handedly guided England to a more respectable 237 all out in their first innings on day two of the third Ashes test on Friday, before Australia moved on to 29-1 in reply at tea.

'Don't Have Any Other Work?': Ex-Pakistan Captain Slams England, Australian PMs Over Jonny Bairstow Saga

The 'Spirit of Cricket' debate took the center stage after Australia wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey controversially stumped Jonny Bairstow on Day 5 of the 2nd Ashes Test at Lord's last week. Bairstow ducked a Cameron Green bouncer and left his crease to have a chat with England captain Ben Stokes, who was standing on the non-striker's end. However, Carey threw the ball into the stumps, leaving everyone, including Bairstow, in disbelief. The decision was referred to the third umpire and the decision went against Bairstow and England.