‘Bloody oath I would’: Head claims Bairstow told him he’d attempt Carey-style dismissal

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Australian batter Travis Head claims Jonny Bairstow told him during the previous Ashes Test he would not hesitate to attempt a dismissal similar to the one that prompted accusations the Australians had not behaved in the spirit of the game on the explosive final day at Lord’s.

Head’s description of an incident during the first Test at Edgbaston came as England coach Brendon McCullum responded to allegations of English hypocrisy over Bairstow’s controversial dismissal, and former New Zealand players involved in the infamous underarm incident of 1981 defended the actions of Pat Cummins’ Australians.

Head, speaking on the Willow Talk cricket podcast, said England wicketkeeper Bairstow had indicated he was prepared to run him out when he walked out of his crease at the end of an over at Edgbaston, where Australia won by two wickets. Bairstow’s dismissal was similar in that Alex Carey stumped him when the Englishman walked out of his crease thinking the over had been called.

“I sort of reminded Jonny last week I walked out of my crease at Edgbaston, at the end of the over,” Head said of his conversation after the Lord’s incident.

“And the ball got whipped in and I quickly whipped my bat back and questioned Jonny, would you take the stumps? And he said, ‘Bloody oath I would,’ and ran off.″⁣

McCullum, one of New Zealand’s greatest wicketkeeper-batsmen, said he regretted two incidents early in his career when he had dismissed batters in a way he now regards as outside the spirit of the game even though were within the rules.

“I’ve had the benefit of hindsight because I’ve made some decisions when I was younger around the spirit of the game which I regret.”

McCullum stumped England batsman Paul Collingwood as he wandered out of his crease after the final ball of an over in 2009. However, Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettori (now an assistant coach with Australia) recalled Collingwood.

McCullum – who has pioneered a radical, aggressive play style since taking over as England’s coach – also apologised to Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan a decade after running him out when the legendary spinner left his ground to celebrate with Kumar Sangakarra, who had just scored a century.

“At the time, I probably didn’t understand what it meant,” McCullum told NZ radio.

“For me it was just about trying to win in the moment, and it wasn’t until I played a bit longer and understood things a bit more that I changed my stance on that, and hence put my hand up and apologised for it.”

Brendon McCullum with Ben Stokes at Lord’s.Credit: Getty Images

McCullum also walked back his post-match remark that his team wouldn’t be sharing drinks with the Australians any time soon.

“It’s a lovely line for the narrative, isn’t it? In the end, we’re all going to sit down and have a beer, aren’t we? It was just a little bit of banter at the end there.”

The other Kiwi view

New Zealand cricketers were victims of one of the most flagrant violations of the so-called spirit of cricket when Australian captain Greg Chappell encouraged his brother Trevor Chappell to bowl an underarm delivery at the MCG in 1981 to deprive the Kiwis of a chance to win the game.

Bruce Edgar, who was at the non-striker’s end that day, said there was no comparison between the underarm delivery, which is still shrouded in shame, and the Bairstow dismissal because every young cricketer was taught about the dangers of being stumped.

“It was lazy on his [Bairstow’s] part,” he said.

“You make eye contact with the keeper or fielder then be assured the ball is dead, or wait until the umpire calls over if the last ball.

“This to me isn’t about the spirit, it’s actually written in the rules. As a batsman, I would never, ever take such a treacherous move down the pitch without knowing that the ball wasn’t dead. You’re asking for trouble.”

New Zealand commentator and former wicketkeeper Ian Smith suggested Australia’s ploy could be outside the spirit of the game, but questioned whether that was relevant.

”Whether it’s in the spirit of cricket, perhaps not. But then again, what is the spirit of cricket? I mean, that the game should be played in a gentlemanly way the whole time? I think if that’s the case, that went out the window a long, long time ago,” Smith said on SENZ.

The keepers’ union

Former Australian gloveman Brad Haddin told the Willow Talk podcast the dismissal was Bairstow’s fault.

“Bairstow has had a brain fade – as simple as that,” Haddin said. “He wasn’t concentrating. Carey picked that up a couple of balls before – that he was wandering out of his crease. And as soon as he got the ball into his gloves, he threw it, and he was lucky enough to hit the stumps and run Bairstow out.

“It was definitely a brain fade from Bairstow. On the letter of the law, he is out.”

Australia endured abuse and boos after the Bairstow dismissal, even from the normally genteel MCC members, but the visitors managed to overcome another historic Stokes innings to win the thrilling Test by 43 runs and go 2-0 up in the series.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has come out in support of the Australian team, while British PM Rishi Sunak has backed the England captain’s complaints about Australia’s behaviour.

The two sides will meet again for the Third Test at Headingley in Leeds on Thursday.

Watch every ball of the 2023 Ashes series live and exclusive on Channel 9 and 9Now.

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