"People Were Focusing On Test": Pat Cummins On Controversial Stumping In Ashes 2023

Rewinding his thoughts to Alex Carey's controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow during the recent Ashes, Australian captain Pat Cummins said the whole episode prompted fans to get actively involve in Test cricket. During Day 5 of the second Test at Lord's, England's Bairstow had dodged a bouncer from pacer Cameron Green and inadvertently walked out of the crease, and Carey hit the stumps at Bairstow's end. The on-field umpires, Ahsan Raza and Chris Gaffaney, went upstairs, and TV umpire Marais Erasmus declared the Englishman out.

Fans came up with furious reactions against the Aussies on social media, while the crowd at the ground booed the visitors throughout the day.

Some of the Australian players were also subjected to verbal assault from Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) members in the famous Long Room of the venue.

Interacting on Channel Seven's Sunrise show, Cummins said, “I think the great thing was how many people were speaking about cricket. It was the middle of winter (Down Under), and cricket was the main sport for a couple of months."

"So personally, I loved how much people were focusing on Test cricket and loving the contest each day. And also, the old rivalry between us and them, every Ashes series seems to drop something." Elaborating on the verbal duel between MCC members, Usman Khawaja and David Warner, Cummins was not entirely surprised by it, terming it an "old tantrum".

“It certainly was a fair old tantrum. I haven't experienced anything like that before. But, I will say across my career, I've seen that type of dismissal at least 20 times, and it is always out.” “Davey (Warner) and Ussie (Khawaja) went back at a few of the members following some comments. It was getting pretty heated," he added.

"I got the gossip from the other guys, (and) then, we all took a deep breath and looked to stay composed. We had a break, and then reset," said Cummins.

England lost the Lord's Test) as Australia took a 2-0 lead in the series before the hosts bounced back in the third Test at Headingley.

However, rain forced a draw in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, allowing the Aussies to retain the Ashes urn The hosts came out on top in the final Test at the Oval, finishing the series with a 2-2 score-line.

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Topics mentioned in this article

Australia Cricket Team England Cricket Team Alex Carey Pat Cummins Jonny Bairstow Ashes 2023 Cricket