The Ashes is one of the most competitive contests of the world and it is played between England and Australia. What’s more, this intense rivalry between the two nations has played an important role in keeping the test cricket alive in present times.
However, it is quite rare for any Ashes series to happen without a controversy. In 2023 Ashes also, there were a couple of times when the players of England and Australia accused each other of going against the spirit of cricket.
If you remember, in the second test match which was played at Lord’s, Jonny Bairstow’s stumping created a huge uproar. While batting, Jonny Bairstow missed a delivery and it went straight to the wicketkeeper Alex Carey, as the batter stepped out early, Alex Carey hit the stumps and it created a controversy as Jonny Bairstow was not in the mood to accept that he was out. However, he was given out and the English skipper Ben Stokes questioned the spirit of cricket of Australia.
But recently in a documentary series which has been titled as The Ashes 2023: Our Take, the English batter Joe Root shed his opinion on this matter which may not go well with many English fans.
Joe Root said that initially he was quite angry but he thinks when a person is involved in a game, it is really difficult to put yourself in the position of others. He said that at the end of the day, it was within the laws of the game and a player should be aware of it. He added that he knows Jonny Bairstow will hate him for saying this but if you stay in crease, then you can’t be given out.
Another English cricketer, Moeen Ali who came out of retirement for the Ashes 2023 also feels that Jonny Bairstow has the habit of coming out of the crease too early. Moeen Ali said that he always felt that Jonny Bairstow leaves the crease early, he leaves the ball and walks straight down.
Well, it will be interesting to see how Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes will react to the statement given by Joe Root?
