The ongoing Ashes series between
England and
Australia witnessed a dramatic and controversial moment on the final day of the second Test at Lord’s. England’s middle-order batter,
Jonny Bairstow, found himself at the centre of a contentious dismissal that has stirred debates among cricket enthusiasts. In a pivotal moment of the match, Bairstow’s misjudgment and subsequent dismissal left the cricketing world divided.
It all happened on the last ball of the 52nd over when
England were struggling at 193/5, and Bairstow left his crease to talk to his partner after instinctively ducking a fiery bouncer from Australian pacer
Cameron Green, assuming that the over had concluded.
However, Australian wicketkeeper
Alex Carey seized the opportunity and swiftly collected the ball. Carey then executed an underarm throw to dislodge the bails at the striker’s end, catching Bairstow out of his crease. The on-field umpires referred the decision to the TV umpire, who ultimately ruled Bairstow out, causing a stir among players and fans alike.
Bairstow’s dismissal has sparked intense debate regarding the ethicality and sportsmanship of the incident. Critics argued that Bairstow had unintentionally assumed the over had ended and was not anticipating a direct hit. On the other hand, supporters of the dismissal were seen arguing that the rules were correctly followed and that Carey’s quick thinking and accurate throw should be commended.
Among all, many veteran and current cricketer also shared their views on the brain fade moment and bizarre dismissal. Indian cricketer
Mayank Agrawal took to his Twitter and wrote
‘Scratching my head’, while
Jofra Archer took a dig at the decision by tweeting
‘wow’. Meanwhile, former Aussie spinner
Brad Hogg termed Bairstow not out and said,
“Spirit of cricket pushed to the boundary. Not attempting a run, end of over, scratched crease then walked for the regulation BS chat between overs between batsman.” Here’s how Twitter reacted: 
*scratching my head*
#Ashes23 — Mayank Agarwal (@mayankcricket)
July 2, 2023
Wow
— Jofra Archer (@JofraArcher)
July 2, 2023
Bairstow wicket, Not Out. Spirit of cricket pushed to the boundary. Not attempting a run, end of over, scratched crease then walked for the regulation BS chat between overs between batsman.
#ashes #ENGvsAUS — Brad Hogg (@Brad_Hogg)
July 2, 2023
Ashes is well & truly ALIVE!
— Kevin Pietersen
(@KP24)
July 2, 2023
This is great drama … Love
#Ashes cricket …
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan)
July 2, 2023
Maybe the Bairstow incident will actually mean this England team will stop being so bloody friendly!
– The protests
– The bouncers
– The non-catch by Starc
– The bizarre run out
#TheAshes Lords test will forever be the most bizarre and weirdest test match!
— Tom Kelly (@tomkellyonline)
July 2, 2023
The thing is it wasn’t even some clever piece of wicket-keeping from Alex Carey but also sums up how silly it was from Jonny Bairstow to wander out of his crease that quickly
#Ashes — Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07)
July 2, 2023
BOTTOM LINE: Bairstow was seeking zero advantage and everyone knows it. Yes, it’s ‘in the rules’ but no, it’s not in the spirit of the game. Very surprised to see Pat Cummins not call him back.
https://t.co/BFFfn7aLYe — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan)
July 2, 2023
"Australia didn't warn Bairstow before running him out. This is clearly against the Spirit of Cricket. He wasn't taking advantage." – England ex-cricketers
— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer)
July 2, 2023
Don’t make Stokes angry….
#Ashes23 — Isa Guha (@isaguha)
July 2, 2023
Bairstow dismissal very similar to Ian Bell “dismissal” vs India in 2011. Its sheer arrogance on Englands part and should be punished
#BBCCricket — Alpesh Patel (@alpesh1982)
July 2, 2023
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