Over 51.6, Bairstow ducks to a short ball and like he did for some other deliveries, just stroked his backfoot across and ambled out of the crease. Australia Wicketkeeper Alex Carey must have noticed that he was doing it every ball and threw the ball back at the stumps. Carey did it quietly and just as the ball hit the wicket he appealed for a run out.
According to the laws of cricket, Australians did the correct thing and got Bairstow’s wicket. The English crowd started booing them immediately and the England players weren’t impressed either.
What I found interesting and intriguing are these are the same players who abused Deepti Sharma and called her names and even called her a bad human being for running a non striker who was backing up!
Yes to refresh memories, Deepti Sharma on 24th September 2022 ran Charlie Dean out at the non striker end for backing up too far and trying to get unfair advantage. Soon after she did so social media erupted, some for her and some against. Some of the notable names who went after her were Mitchell Starc, Meghan Schutt both Australians.
Mitchell Starc went one step ahead and in a following series gave a non striker backing up a warning saying “I am not Deepti but I might still do it”. As if being Deepti, who has won so many crucial matches for her country was something to be embarrassed about because she did something that was within the laws of the game but something which did not appeal to the Aussie and English sense of spirit of cricket.
I have no doubt that both Bairstow’s dismissal today and Dean’s dismissal that day were within the laws of the game. But the Australians are okay with this Bairstow dismissal but not okay with non striker end run outs?
Dean in that match had left the crease 72 times before being dismissed the 73rd time. Bairstow in this innings was leaving his crease after playing almost every ball and May I say it was good on Carey to have noticed it and taken advantage of it. But then does the spirit of cricket really exist or is its existence more convenience based?
The jury is out.