England’s Jonny Bairstow has finally broken his silence on the contentious dismissal that took place during the Ashes series this summer at Lord’s Cricket Ground. The incident occurred during the second Ashes Test, leading to heated debates in the cricketing world.
During the 52nd over in the second test, Bairstow was facing Australia’s Cameron Green, having scored 10 runs. He moved out of his crease, and although he didn’t hit the ball, Australia’s wicketkeeper Alex Carey quickly threw the ball at the stumps to dismiss Bairstow. Bairstow, in an interview with The Telegraph, clarified that he wasn’t trying to gain an advantage by leaving the crease and questioned Australia’s sportsmanship during the series.
Jonny Bairstow said
He explained, “If you’re starting out of your crease, you’re trying to gain an advantage. If you start in your crease, and not trying to take a run, and you finish in your crease… That’s the bit – if you try to gain an advantage, then it’s fair game. But if you’re starting in your crease, you’ve ducked, tap, tap, scratched. I’ve even dragged my bat, looked up, and then gone.”
Bairstow expressed his astonishment at such a dismissal, highlighting the impact it could have on the enjoyment of the sport, particularly at the grassroots level. He said, “I’ve never seen it happen from someone starting in their crease. I don’t think you want that filtering down into kids’ cricket. Look at the Mankads and everything like that. You want young kids to be out there batting and having fun, not thinking about whether the fielders might do this or that. It might tarnish people’s enjoyment of the game that we’re trying to get kids into. You want to be out there batting and bowling, rather than thinking about the 11 different ways you can get someone out.”
Bairstow’s comments have sparked a fresh debate on sportsmanship and the need to uphold the spirit of the game, especially at the developmental levels of cricket.
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