The Ashes 2023

Jonny Bairstow reopens Ashes feud; Lashes out at Aussies for illegal catches

Almost three months after the conclusion of the 2023 Ashes, visitors Australia have been accused of claiming and taking illegal catches during the course of the 5-match series. The allegations have been levied by Englishman Jonny Bairstow, who pointed out multiple instances where he felt that the catches taken by the Aussies were illegitimate.

“There’s conjecture around everything. Fingers underneath the ball when the ball’s still touching the ground. Celebrating when the ball has touched the ground”, Bairstow claimed.

The first case in question is the catch taken by Steve Smith to get rid of Joe Root during the second Test at the picturesque Lord’s Cricket Ground. Bairstow opined that Smith’s fingers were spread wide and that they were not underneath the ball. Marnus Labuschagne’s catch to dismiss Harry Brook in Birmingham was also questioned by the experienced campaigner who has represented England 267 times across formats.

In the second Test, Bairstow was at the receiving end of a controversial stumping effected by Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey. After a particular delivery, Bairstow wandered out of his crease even before the ball was deemed dead. Carey took the opportunity with both hands as he hit the stumps to ignite a massive debate with regard to the Spirit of Cricket. Bairstow had no intention of stealing a run, and he was, in fact, just unaware that the ball was still in play. Carey’s actions made him subject to a lot of flak from the English fans and media.

The decision was that I was out: Jonny Bairstow

At the time, Bairstow chose to remain mum about the incident, but now, his thoughts have been made public courtesy of extracts from a book, Bazball, in The Telegraph. Bairstow, on his part, admitted that he had moved on from the episode soon after it happened. “The decision was that I was out, and I moved on. I’ve not brought it up since. I’ve kept quiet. It’s on them. If that’s how they want to go about it and win a cricket game, then so be it”, the 34-year-old said.

However, Bairstow felt that the incident was definitely not the best thing as far as young fans and viewers are concerned as it set a wrong precedent for them. “I don’t think you want that filtering down into kids’ cricket”, he said. Now that Bairstow’s thoughts are in the public domain, there are likely to be more comments on the issue by fans and experts alike.

At the moment, Bairstow is representing England in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. Bairstow hasn’t had a great run thus far and that has reflected in his team’s performance as England find themselves languishing at the bottom of the table.