Piers Morgan has renewed his objection to Jonny Bairstow's controversial dismissal during Day Five of the second Ashes test.
England star Bairstow left his crease thinking the over was finished, only to see his bails knocked off by Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey. The dismissal was then confirmed by the third umpire, with Bairstow forced to return to the pavilion.
The incident infuriated the crowd at Lord's, with the Australian team loudly jeered for the remainder of the test and even confronted in the Long Room, though they still won by 43 runs. Morgan was also left furious and immediately branded the visitors "pathetic".
Now, two days after the events, the broadcaster has again spoken out against the Australian side. He blasted them for the way they celebrated Bairstow's dismissal and insisted they went against the spirit of the game.
"What Carey did was perfectly within the laws of cricket. But it was also entirely against the spirit of the game. Everyone, including every member of the Australian team, knew Bairstow wasn’t trying to gain any advantage," he wrote for The Sun.
"So, the right thing to do was for Australia’s captain Pat Cummins to call Bairstow back, just as other past captains like India’s MS Dhoni have done in similar situations. But instead, Cummins and the rest of the gleeful Aussies celebrated like they’d won the lottery.
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"The Aussies did go against the spirit of the game, and in the process, did a massive disservice to themselves, their country, and their sport. Ben Stokes made it clear he wouldn’t have done it and I believe him.
"Where’s the glory in winning at sport if you abandon honour and integrity? It’s hard to define exactly what constitutes ‘the spirit of the game’ but most sports fans know when they see it abused."
England skipper Stokes was adamant that if he were in the same situation as Cummins, he would have withdrawn the appeal for a dismissal. And he insisted that it was not the way he would have wanted to win.
"Jonny was in his crease, then out of his crease to come down and have the chat. I am not disputing the fact it is out because it is out. Would I want to win a game in that manner? The answer for me is no," he told Test Match Special.
"When is it justified that the umpires have called over? Is the on-field umpires making movement... is that enough to call over? I'm not sure. If the shoe was on the other foot, I would have put more pressure on the umpires.
"Asked whether they had called over and had a deep think about the whole spirit of the game and if I would want to do something like that. We beat Pakistan and New Zealand 3-0 [in 2022], so that is how we have to look at it."
