What Simon Taufel Said On Jonny Bairstow's Controversial Dismissal At Lord's

Australia beat England by 43 runs in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s and now lead the 5-match series 2-0. However, the final day’s action at Lord’s was anything but pleasant. There were certain incidents that overshadowed the game and the result. The focus shifted towards a debate surrounding the concept of “spirit of cricket,” particularly sparked by Jonny Bairstow's dismissal by Alex Carey during the second innings. Bairstow was stumped when he was on 10 by Australia’s wicketkeeper, Alex Carey. Although the dismissal was well within the rules, the England players and crowd turned against the Australian side as they felt that it lacked sportsmanship.

Ben Stokes, the captain of England, speaking after the match, categorically mentioned that he would never want to win a Test match in such a manner. He went on to suggest that he would have withdrawn the run-out appeal.

Brendon McCullum, the coach of the England team, made statements on similar lines and even went on to suggest that he would refrain from sharing a drink with the Australian side anytime soon.

While this incident continues to generate buzz among England cricket fans and on social media, Simon Taufel, one of the best umpires to have graced the cricket field, has weighed in on the matter. Taufel believes that the third umpire's decision to rule Bairstow out was absolutely correct, although it was not in favour of England. Taufel has also argued that this decision changed the complexion of the entire match.

Taufel was speaking in an interview with ABC Sydney Mornings, where he said that even though England disagreed with the decision, it was a correct one. He explained that for the ball to be considered dead after the over or delivery, both teams must disregard its active status. However, in this case, the fielding side did not do so.

“Correct decision made. They (England) just didn’t like it. For that ball to be considered dead after the over or even after the delivery, both sides need to disregard it is in play. Clearly, the fielding side hadn’t,” Taufel said.

There have been numerous replays of the incident and Taufel’s assessment appears to be spot on. Bairstow, after evading a short ball from Cameron Green, casually moved outside the crease while the ball was still in play. Alex Carey, displaying excellent game sense, promptly collected the ball, and threw the stumps down. Bairstow, assuming the ball was dead, was left stunned and had to trudge off to the pavilion, even as the crowd booed and jeered the Australian side.