Stuart Broad has expressed his belief that Australia captain Pat Cummins will regret his decision to uphold the appeal for the controversial stumping of England’s Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s.
The incident sparked a huge reaction from fans and members at the home of cricket, and the debate has yet to die down. Broad replaced Bairstow in the middle after the dismissal, before Australia went on to win and take a 2-0 lead in the Ashes.
Broad says that “zero advantage” came from Bairstow walking out of his crease and the England bowler reckons Cummins will think sticking with the appeal was the wrong course of action.
“What amazed me, and what I told the Australians I could not believe as we left the field at lunch, was that not one senior player among them — and I very much understand in the emotion of the game that the bowler and wicketkeeper would have thought ‘that’s out’ — questioned what they had done,” Broad wrote in the Daily Mail.
“Especially given what their team has been through over recent years, with all their cultural change. Not one of them said ‘Hang on, lads. I’m not really sure about this’. Not one of them thought ‘He’s gaining no advantage. He’s not trying to get a run. It’s the end of the over. It’s a bit of a random dismissal. We should cancel that appeal’.
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“Ultimately, Pat Cummins is a really great guy and I would be amazed, once the emotion settles, if he does not sit back and think ‘I got that one wrong’, even though his bottom line at the time was winning a Test match.”
Ex-players, pundits and even Prime Minister Rishi Sunak weighed in on the debate, while anger in the crowd at the manner of Bairstow’s exit spilled over in the usually restrained Long Room at Lord’s. Australia players Usman Khawaja and David Warner were involved in heated exchanges with jeering members and three were suspended by the Marylebone Cricket Club.
“The red mist came over me, too, when I arrived at the crease to replace Jonny, and some of what I said was picked up on the stump mics — which naively, given my experience, I didn’t really think about. I just said to Pat on repeat ‘All these boos are for you, for your decision’. And ‘What a great opportunity you had to think clearly’,” added Broad.
“Also, I needed to support Ben Stokes in any way, shape or form I could, and I am always better when I’m in a bit of a battle. I normally try and pick a fight with someone on the opposition but on this occasion I picked a fight with the whole team.
“To Alex Carey, I said ‘This is what you’ll be remembered for, and that’s such a shame’. It may have been a bit silly, but I also shouted ‘in’ every time I crossed the line. It annoyed the Australians for maybe half-an-hour, although after two-and-a-half hours, they were probably a bit bored of it.”
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