The 'Spirit of Cricket' debate was lit on fire yet again by none other than England after wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow was controversially run out by his Australian counterpart Alex Carey on Day 5 of the Lord's Ashes Test. Carey was alert as he saw Bairstow wander out of the crease with the ball still in play and caught him short of his crease, which followed a huge uproar not just at the venue but also on social media.
The crowd booed Pat Cummins and all the Australian players while England skipper Ben Stokes brought 'Spirit of Cricket' into discussion saying that had he been in the Australian skipper's place, he would have withdrawn the appeal. Cummins wasn't really bothered about what Stokes said as he mentioned that what he and his team did was fair and within the rules of the game.
The English media was in the mood to have some fun and grill Cummins even more during the press conference. When Cummins was asked if he believes in 'Spirit of Cricket', he replied positively and the reporter got an opportunity to further extend his question as he asked if Australia will be open to mankading or bowling under-arm later in the series and the Australian skipper came up with a witty response.
Cummins said, "Depends how flat the wickets get, might be an option there" leaving the whole press box in splits. The Spirit of Cricket debate was rendered inconsequential by several cricketers. While R Ashwin said that the credit should go to the cricketer to notice what the batter was doing repeatedly, former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris said that it shouldn't contradict the laws of the game.
After Bairstow's dismissal, England skipper Ben Stokes went berserk as he not only brought up his second century as Test captain but also kept his side in the game. Stokes scored 155 before the Australian bowlers proved to be too good as the visitors won the match by 43 runs.
