Ben Stokes speaks out on Jonny Bairstow controversy in the Ashes

Ben Stokes says he would have considered withdrawing the appeal for the controversial Jonny Bairstow dismissal in the Ashes Test at Lord’s had he been in Pat Cummins’ position.

England slipped to 193-6 before lunch on a dramatic and fiery final day at Lord’s after a hugely contentious stumping of Bairstow.

England’s wicketkeeper wandered out of his crease after ducking a bouncer, only for Alex Carey to under-arm the ball at the stumps.

Bairstow and England centurion Stokes believed the ball to be dead but Australia celebrated and third umpire Marais Erasmus gave it out.

Stokes went on to score a sensational 155 – smashing the Australia bowlers for 18 boundaries – but his heroics were in vain as England were bowled out 43 runs short of victory.

Australia have now won two tight matches to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series ahead of the third Ashes Test, which starts on Thursday.

Asked for his take on Bairstow’s dismissal, Stokes said: ‘There’s lots of factors. I asked the umpires whether they had called over.

‘They made a move towards the end of the over. But at then of the day it is out. If the shoe was on the other foot I would have had a think about the whole spirit of the game. But is has happened. It was out. We have to move on.’

Australia captain Cummins said the dismissal was ‘totally fair play’ and the result of Bairstow repeatedly leaving his crease.

‘I think Alex [Carey] saw it happen a few balls previous, there was no pause. Catch it and throw at the stumps,’ Cummins said.

‘I thought it was totally fair play. I know some people disagree but it’s like the catch yesterday. That’s how I saw it.’

England coach Brendon McCullum, meanwhile, said the ‘spirit of the game’ should have been ‘protected’ when Bairstow was stumped.

‘I think it was more about the spirit of the game and when you become older and more mature you realise the game and the spirit of it is something you need to protect,’ he said.

‘You have to make decisions in the moment and they can have affects on games and people’s characters. By the letter of the law he is out.

‘Jonny was not trying to take a run and the umpires had called over. It is one of those difficult ones to swallow and you look at the small margins it is incredibly disappointing.

‘But lots of people will have their opinion on both sides of the fence. But the most disappointing thing is that it will be the most talked about event of a great Test match.’

Asked if the incident will impact on relations between the teams for the rest of the series, McCullum added: ‘I can’t imagine we’ll be having a beer any time soon.’

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