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England batter and former skipper Joe Root expressed his surprising take on Jonny Bairstow-Alex Carey stumping controversy from the Ashes series at home last year, saying that the stumping was within the laws of the game and one needs to be more aware as a player.
During the second Test of the Ashes series back in July last year, Bairstow was stumped by wicketkeeper Alex Carey for just 10 runs in a run-chase of 371 runs. The stumping was done when Bairstow had stepped outside his crease, assuming that the ball was dead after he ducked it. Just when he stepped out, Carey wasted no time in stumping him. The dismissal proved to be a big one for Australia as England skittled out for 327 runs in the run-chase and went down in the series by 2-0. The stumping, carried out on the fourth day of the game, proved to be one of the biggest controversies in the recent history of the Ashes series. The Australian team was abused by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) members in the Long Room of the Lord's Stadium when they came back for lunch, and debates on 'Spirit of Cricket' were done endlessly, with many fans and experts opining that Bairstow either should have been warned or the dismissal should not have been carried out. The dismissal, though, was legal as per the laws of cricket. In the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Board's documentary 'The Ashes 2023 Our Take', released after Australia's Prime Video documentary 'The Test Season Three' which also addresses the issue from Australia's point of view, Root said, "Initially I was quite angry, but I think when you are involved in the game it is very difficult to put yourself in the other position. So I would like to say I would have dealt with it differently (than Australia), but I could very easily have done the same thing. Jonny will hate me saying this, but if you stay in your crease you can't get given out can you? At the end of the day it is within the laws of the game. You should be aware as a player," he said. Root also lauded his skipper Ben Stokes for leading the team well on their way to a 2-2 draw after that controversy, which proved to be a game-changing event in the series. This run out charged up England, who had given a great fight against Australia till that point. They won the third and fifth Tests comprehensively, drawing the series 2-2. The Three Lions could have also won the fourth Test at Manchester had it not been interrupted by rain. Australia retained the prestigious Ashes urn by drawing the series but could not win the series in England for the first time since 2001. "It deserved more than for us to come out on the wrong end of that (Lord's) result. For England's captain to show us this is how we play our cricket regardless of the situation, regardless of what people might have said in the first innings, how we got dismissed, reckless, careless, no thought behind it. It was a really powerful moment for us as a team and the rest of the series as well," he concluded. (ANI)
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