The debate on Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal rages on (In the best cricket tradition, Bairstow v Carey turned on a man saying ‘over’, 2 July). The viewpoint on this is simple, provided one asks the right questions. First, should Australia have withdrawn the appeal? Yes – Bairstow (like the square leg umpire), clearly thought that it was the end of the over, treated the ball as dead and was not attempting to take a run or gain any advantage; he placed his foot back in the crease and was going to have a chat with Stokes.
Second, does England have a right to complain that Australia didn’t withdraw the appeal? No – Bairstow was out according to the rules and according to the umpire; it was a basic error for which Bairstow cannot expect leniency or generosity. Alex Carey threw the ball before Bairstow left the crease, and everyone concerned (such as Stuart Broad, who didn’t walk in 2013 when he clearly edged the ball and Brendon McCullum, who ran out Muttiah Muralitharan in 2006 in very similar circumstances) has form for doggedly relying on the rules of cricket over the spirit.
Third, does Australia have the right to complain that England is complaining? No – Australia is a repeat offender when it comes to both the rules and spirit of cricket (Trevor Chappell’s underarm ball, Sandpapergate, sledging mercilessly) and they whinge every bit as much as the next team when the spirit of cricket is not observed (Broad was booed throughout the 2013-14 Ashes series for not walking; and the Bodyline tour, which was within the rules at the time, still provokes rancour 90 years later). Finally, is this good for cricket? Undoubtedly. What a Test match, and what a series so far.
Ali Naseem Bajwa KC
London
• In the furore about Jonny Bairstow’s stumping, it’s worth remembering who started it. In the Oval Test match of 1882, WG Grace ran out the Australian batsman Sammy Jones, who had innocently left his crease to pat down a divot, believing that the ball was dead. Grace refused to recall him, saying it would teach him a lesson.
Afterwards, the Australian fast bowler Fred Spofforth furiously stormed into the England dressing room, called Grace a bloody cheat and warned that the runout would cost England the match. It did too, by seven runs, with Spofforth taking seven for 44, all prompting the famous obituary about the Ashes of English cricket. Grace, of course, is now remembered not only with a full-length portrait and a bust at Lord’s, but also has the main gates named after him.
Stephen Bates
Deal, Kent
• Jonathan Liew appears to suggest that what once was described as gentlemanly behaviour is outdated (Our shared values deserve better than a pointless term like ‘spirit of cricket’, 3 July). But two sports which interest me most, namely cricket and cycling, appeal largely because of their sportsmanlike traditions that contrast so vividly with the appalling spirit in which sports such as football are “played”.
Until the laws of the game changed, the Mankad runout was widely seen as unsporting, when the gentlemanly response was for the bowler to warn the offending batsman once before breaking the stumps. There are many “spirit of cycling” happenings, the most recent being in last year’s Tour de France involving the riders who finished first and second, Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard. On this occasion when the two were out on their own and Pogačar crashed, his rival looked behind and immediately slowed down to allow the unfortunate Pogačar to catch up. It was heartwarming to see two young riders maintaining the traditions of cycling.
Such things are the essence of civilised sporting behaviour and should be applauded, not ridiculed.
Roger Wilkinson
Leasgill, Cumbria
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