Simon Taufel, an Australian renowned former umpire, has pulled apart claims Australia ‘cheated’ by stumping England’s Jonny Bairstow in the second Ashes Test.
Alex Carey’s dismissal of Bairstow ignited high drama at Lord’s and sparked fierce debate in the days since.
Now Taufel, who won five-straight ICC Umpire of the Year awards (2004-08) and oversaw 74 Tests, has hit back at claims Australia breached the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ with eight simple questions about the incident.
Taufel is not just an elite former umpire, but a current member of the MCC laws sub-committee, which oversees the rules of the game – and its spirit.
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“Was Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal at Lords a breach of the Spirit of Cricket?” Taufel wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “This is a question I have been inundated with, so I thought it best to share my thoughts publicly by asking everyone a question or eight to consider …
“1. Have you seen any umpire tell a fielding side that the keeper standing back is not allowed to attempt a stumping?
“2. Was there a complaint from anyone when Bairstow tried to stump Marnus exactly the same way in the first innings?
“3. What has Jonny Bairstow said about his dismissal? He has been very quiet. Why?
“4. My experience is when people don’t like a dismissal under the Laws of Cricket, they cite the Spirit of Cricket to support their view.
“5. Which part of the codified Preamble (the Spirit of Cricket) was breached by the fielding side?
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“6. What did the fielding side do in effecting a legitimate dismissal that unfairly impacted the ability of the batter in their attempt not to be dismissed? (Did they run into him or distract him or prevent him making good his ground?)
“7. Should a batter be immune from dismissal as per the Laws by simply being negligent (and leaving his ground too early)?
“8. Did England retire Ben Duckett when they disagreed with the Starc catch decision as per the Laws and umpires’ decision?
“The hypocrisy and lack of consistency from some people and groups is quite interesting and concerning for the future of our game. Maybe I am the odd one out here? The good news is that we are actively engaged with Test cricket, the best form of the game,” he ended.
The controversy is set to ensure the third Test, which begins Thursday night (AEST) at Headingley, will be a heated affair.
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