Opinions are divided over the much-talked-about Jonny Bairstow dismissal from Day 5 of the Lord's Test. While many feel that the England keeper was deservedly given out as he wandered out of his crease recklessly, others feel Australia should've given him a warning and not stump him on the first instance. However, a video has emerged on Twitter suggesting Carey might not have been the first one to attempt such a dismissal in the match but the man in the spotlight, Bairstow himself.
With Marnus Labuschagne on the crease, Bairstow seems to have aimed a shot at the stumps, hoping to see the Australian batter wander out of his crease after leaving the stumps. While Labuschagne didn't leave his crease immediately after leaving the ball, unlike Bairstow, the England wicket-keeper's throw wasn't on target either.
Here's the video of the incident:
After the end of the match, Australia skipper Pat Cummins suggested that Bairstow tries to produce such dismissals 'all the time'. Cummins even pointed out a few past instances where the English stumper had done something similar.
"I thought it was fair. You see Jonny do it all the time. He did it on Day One to (David) Warner. He did it in 2019 to Steve (Smith). It's a really common thing for keepers to do if they see a batter keep on leaving their crease,' said the Australia captain.
"Caz (Carey) - full credit to him. He saw the opportunity a few balls beforehand and rolled at the stumps. Jonny left his crease and we'll leave the rest to the umpires,' Cummins added.
As the 'spirit of cricket' talk rages on, even the MCC clarified its rules, suggesting whatever Carey did was well within the limits of the game.
The England, camp, however is understandably unhappy as a longer stay for Bairstow on the crease could've seen them prevent a 43-run loss to Australia.