“Was there a complaint from anyone when Bairstow tried to stump in a similar way” Former Umpire Simon Taufel gives his verdict on Baristow Controversy dismissal.

Simon Taufel, widely regarded as one of the greatest umpires in the history of cricket, has recently expressed his opinion on the controversy surrounding Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal during the fifth day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.

Bairstow was stumped by Alex Carey off the bowling of Cameron Green when he walked out of his crease before the umpires had called ‘over’. This incident sparked a debate regarding the ‘spirit of cricket’.

In a detailed post on LinkedIn, Taufel, aged 52 years old, questioned the aspect of the ‘spirit of cricket’ in relation to Bairstow’s dismissal. He drew attention to a similar stumping attempt made by Bairstow on the 3rd day of the match, where Marnus Labuschagne was almost dismissed in a comparable manner. Taufel raised the question of whether a batter’s negligence should exempt him from being dismissed, even if the fielding side has adhered to the rules.

Taufel, remarked “Was there a complaint from anyone when Bairstow tried to stump Marnus exactly the same way in the first innings?”

“Should a batter be immune from dismissal as per the Laws by simply being negligent (and leaving his ground too early)?”