In a recent revelation, Australia’s wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey has shared his perspective on the controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow during the second Test of Ashes 2023 series. Speaking on Saturday, July 15, Carey shed light on the incident that caused a stir in the cricketing world.
Carey clarified that the Australian team had been aware of Bairstow’s tendency to leave his crease quickly, and their reaction was a direct response to that observation. The wicketkeeper-batter expressed surprise at the level of reaction the incident garnered, given that it was based on a strategy they had noticed.
During the match, the Australians faced verbal abuse from members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in the Long Room at Lord’s. The MCC, responsible for managing Lord’s and overseeing cricket’s laws, issued an apology for the incident and acknowledged that Carey’s approach was justified.
Carey has since moved on from the incident, highlighting that such incidents are not uncommon in the historic rivalry between Australia and England.
“There’s some nasty stuff been said but…it is the Ashes. There was nasty stuff said before that as well. I feel really well supported. I think the whole group does. From Australia I still think we’ve got lots of fans and from England, I don’t think we’ve made any, but we probably didn’t lose any,” Carey was quoted as saying in ESPNCricinfo.
He added: “It’s one of those things where a stumping that’s given out on field is turned into a massive story. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I absolutely respect that. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion on the spirit of cricket as well. Not just myself, the whole group’s had some stuff spoken about them. But we’re really tight. We understand what’s important and who matters and those guys definitely have our back.
“We’re all in it together, we were all out there, all walked through the Long Room together, post-match we all discussed it together. Don’t think the group would do anything differently.”
Throwing light on the dismissal, Carey remarked: “We were switched on to the fact that it was a bouncer plan and it felt like Jonny was pretty switched on to getting out of the way, he wasn’t playing any shots. When he ducked his first movement was pretty much out of his crease, so I instinctively grabbed the ball, threw the stumps down and the rest is history.”
When asked if he would dismiss a batter in the same manner again, the southpaw said: “If there was an opportunity to get a stumping, I definitely would.”
Both teams are now preparing to face each other in the fourth Test, scheduled for Wednesday, July 19. The match will take place at Old Trafford in Manchester, with Australia currently leading the five-match series 2-1.
