Former India opener Aakash Chopra has weighed in on the contentious “spirit of cricket” debate following Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal on Day 5 of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s. Chopra highlighted the hypocrisy within English cricket, pointing out instances of dubious dismissals involving English players such as Jack Leach and Stuart Broad.
As fans began sharing videos of previous incidents, one clip showed Jack Leach dismissing Henry Nicholls after the ball hit the bat of non-striker Dary Mitchell. Chopra expressed his disapproval of the English players for initiating the “spirit of cricket” debate while not adhering to it themselves.
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In a tweet, Chopra commented, “Ouch. You can even see the torchbearer of ‘The Spirit of the Game’ shrugging his shoulders instead of initiating the process to withdraw the appeal. After all, you wouldn’t want to be remembered for things like these. Also, there are multiple videos circulating calling out their hypocrisy…including some involving the current players. English cricket’s hypocrisy and the sense of entitlement is something else.”
Ouch. You can even see the torchbearer of ‘The Spirit of the Game’ shrugging his shoulders instead of initiating the process to withdraw the appeal. After all, you wouldn’t want to be remembered for things like these 🤣🫣🤪
Also, there are multiple videos circulating calling out… https://t.co/yR8Nq2UeVd— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) July 4, 2023
Another video shared by fans showcased Stuart Broad’s refusal to walk despite edging the ball in the 2013 Ashes series at Nottingham. Meanwhile, on Day 5 of the second Test, Alex Carey noticed Jonny Bairstow stepping out of his crease, assuming the ball was dead after evading a short delivery. Carey swiftly hit the stumps and appealed for a stumping, which was upheld. The International Cricket Council (ICC) clarified the law behind such dismissals, citing law 20.1.2 of the MCC’s Laws of Cricket.
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According to the ICC, “the ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.”
Australia emerged victorious in the match, securing a 43-run win and taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The third Test is scheduled to begin on July 6 at Leeds.
