After the Ashes 2023 controversy, R Ashwin responds with a “Loud And Clear” message

The cricketing world is arguing whether Australia made the right decision in refusing to retract the stumping appeal against Jonny Bairstow, who nonchalantly departed his crease after diving beneath a short ball and believing it to have been pronounced dead.

The event happened at the Lord’s during the second Test match between England and Australia’s morning session. With Bairstow and skipper Ben Stokes in the middle, the hosts still needed 178 runs to win after losing five wickets.

After setting aside the delivery, Bairstow stepped on the ground and began to go in the direction of the non-striker’s end. Quickly realizing his error, Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey under-armed the ball into the stumps for a straight hit. The appeal for stumping that followed was sent to the TV umpire, who decided in favor of the fielding side.

During the lunch break, the audience at the venue started to jeer Australian players, and a few MCC members accosted Usman Khawaja and David Warner in the Long Room.

The expulsion has once again brought forth a “spirit of cricket,” with England at its center.

Ravichandran Ashwin, an offspinner for India, has endorsed Carey and said the player should be commended for his mental toughness.

“We must get one fact loud and clear,” tweeted Ashwin. “The keeper would never have a dip at the stumps from that far out in a test match unless he or his team have noticed a pattern of the batter leaving his crease after leaving a ball like Bairstow did.”

Instead of emphasizing unfair play or the spirit of the game, he argued, “We must applaud the game smarts of the individual.”

Later, England captain Ben Stokes remarked that if it had been his side, they would have withdrawn the appeal. Stokes’ brilliant century, though, was not enough to get England home.

If the situation had been reversed, I would have exerted greater pressure on the umpires, inquired as to whether they had called over, and given the game’s overall atmosphere and whether I would wish to do anything similar serious consideration. It was the game-winning play for Australia. Would it be how I wanted to win a game? On BBC’s Test Match Special, Stokes said, “The answer for me is no.