'Worst thing I’ve ever seen in cricket': Broad, McCullum whinge about Bairstow drama but McDonald returns serve

Andrew McDonald remains adamant his side did nothing wrong despite England coach Brendon McCullum’s claims the hosts no longer want to have a drink with Australia’s players after Jonny Bairstow’s controversial Ashes stumping. 

McDonald jumped to the defence of his players over the dismissal, which came after the England star wandered down the pitch and was stumped on Sunday as the second Test reach fever-pitch.

The Australia coach revealed it was a set plan to attempt to dismiss Bairstow in that fashion, after players noticed he regularly left his ground after a delivery.

England remain furious over the matter, with McCullum and captain Ben Stokes claiming they would have withdrawn their appeal if the situation were reversed.

“I can’t imagine we’ll be having a beer with them any time soon,” McCullum told the BBC when asked about relations between the two teams. “You’ve got to live with the decisions you make, and that’s life. But I feel … if we were in the same situation, we might’ve made a different decision.”

Ben Stokes speaks to the umpires after Jonny Bairstow was run out. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

McDonald was left unimpressed by his opposite number’s take on the situation, saying he was “somewhat disappointed” by McCullum’s comments.

The England criticism is likely to raise eyebrows in Australia’s camp, after McCullum twice ran players out through his Test career as batsmen were celebrating milestones.

Veteran seamer Stuart Broad lashed out at Alex Carey over the controversial dismissal of Bairstow by sledging the keeper with “That’s all you’ll ever be remembered for” in a comment that was picked up by the stump microphones.

Broad was also overheard saying Carey’s stumping was “literally the worst thing I’ve ever seen in cricket”.

He kept up the gamesmanship by mocking Carey at the end of several overs by deliberately placing his bat well behind the crease and asking the fielders if the ball was officially dead so he could move out of his crease.

Social media lit up with the hypocrisy of Broad’s comment given his infamous decision not to walk after edging Ashton Agar to slip in the 2013 Ashes series.

There was also another clip which showed McCullum doing the same thing while representing New Zealand in a one-dayer in 2009, coincidentally trying to dismiss Paul Collingwood, who is now also on the England coaching staff.

On that occasion, Collingwood was given not out because the umpires had called over and the ball was considered dead.

Interestingly, in 2016, McCullum apologised to Sri Lankan duo Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan for running out the bowler in a Test 10 years earlier.

Sangakkara hit a single to bring up a century as the last wicket pair completed their run. Before the ball was “dead”, Muralitharan was walking back to celebrate with his partner but was run out by McCullum.

In his MCC address, McCullum said he was entitled to do what he did but, in hindsight, believed his act went against the ‘spirit of the game’.

“As much as it pains me to talk about it publicly, I’ll tell you about how I ran out Muttiah Muralitharan,” McCullum said in 2016.

“We were playing Sri Lanka at Lancaster Park in Christchurch in late 2006. Kumar Sangakkara scored a magnificent hundred in the second innings. When Kumar reached his hundred, Sri Lanka was nine [wickets] down. The ball was still in the air, being returned to me as the wicket-keeper. When Murali left his ground to congratulate Kumar on reaching his hundred, it landed in my gloves. I removed the bails and appealed. Murali was given out and we went on to win the match.

“Not surprisingly, the incident created controversy and bad feelings. The Sri Lankans were stunned. Their captain Mahela Jayawardene – another good man – said at the time, ‘Legally it was run out, the ball was alive but we play in an age where we talk about the spirit of the game. Hopefully it won’t happen again, it’s not the way to play cricket.’

“If I could turn back time, I would. We were within the laws of the game, but not the spirit. And there is a very, very important difference which is glaringly obvious to me years later.”

England captain Ben Stokes claimed after the match he would have withdrawn the appeal had he been in Australia’s shoes, reasoning that Bairstow had thought the ball was dead and it was over.

Australia have argued the decision lay with the umpires, and Bairstow left his crease before over was called.

McDonald said he understood the dismissal may be polarising, but was adamant his team had done nothing wrong in claiming the wicket in the 43-run victory.

“It got sent upstairs and ultimately the officiating third umpire decides it’s out and it’s within the laws of the game,” McDonald said. “I don’t see too many issues with it.”

England’s main gripe was that Bairstow thought the ball was dead, given it was the last delivery of the over.

However, replays showed the England man regularly walked out of his crease after deliveries, a point Australia had also picked up on.

“When a player is leaving their crease or leaving their ground at certain periods of time, you take that opportunity,” McDonald said.

“There was some conversation around Jonny leaving the crease, and Alex Carey took that opportunity. The ball is still live in our minds.

“It’s like when a player is running down the wicket to Nathan Lyon, does he take the opportunity to fire a ball down leg side because he’s leaving his crease?

“There’s no doubt about that.”

Australia’s captain Pat Cummins pointed out post-match that Bairstow had regularly underarmed the ball at the stumps himself when wicketkeeping after players left the crease.

“You see Jonny do it all the time … it’s a really common thing for keepers to do,” Cummins said.

McCullum also indicated he would have ensured England would have withdrawn the appeal, while attacking Australia’s sportsmanship.

“I was lucky enough to play for a long period of time and you learn over a long period that the game and the spirit of the game is so vital to this great game,” McCullum said. 

“It’s one thing we’ve got that other sports maybe don’t have, and to uphold that is such an important part of it. 

“In the end you’ve got to live with the decisions you make, and that’s life. 

“But I feel from our point of view, if we were in the same situation, we might’ve made a different decision.”

The Bairstow wicket left England 5-193 in pursuit of 371 for victory, before a counter-attacking 155 from Stokes allowed England to get 327 before they were bowled out in pursuit of 371.

Australia were jeered continually by the crowd after that point, and have claimed they copped verbal abuse and physical contact from fans as they walked through the Lord’s Long Room at lunch.

with AAP