Simon Taufel, who is a former ICC Elite Umpire and current member of the MCC laws sub-committee, has written this post on LinkedIn discussing the Jonny Bairstow dismissal during the second Ashes Test at Lord's:
"Was Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal at Lords a breach of the Spirit of Cricket? This is a question I have been inundated with, so I thought it best to share my thoughts publicly by asking everyone a question or eight to consider…
1. "Have you seen any umpire tell a fielding side that the keeper standing back is not allowed to attempt a stumping?
2. "Was there a complaint from anyone when Bairstow tried to stump Marnus exactly the same way in the first innings?
3. "What has Jonny Bairstow said about his dismissal? He has been very quiet. Why?
4. "My experience is when people don’t like a dismissal under the Laws of Cricket, they cite the Spirit of Cricket to support their view.
5. "Which part of the codified Preamble (the Spirit of Cricket) was breached by the fielding side?
6. "What did the fielding side do in effecting a legitimate dismissal that unfairly impacted the ability of the batter in their attempt not to be dismissed? (Did they run into him or distract him or prevent him making good his ground?)
7. "Should a batter be immune from dismissal as per the Laws by simply being negligent (and leaving his ground too early)?
8. "Did England retire Ben Duckett when they disagreed with the Starc catch decision as per the Laws and umpires’ decision?
"The hypocrisy and lack of consistency from some people and groups is quite interesting and concerning for the future of our game.
"Maybe I am the odd one out here?
"The good news is that we are actively engaged with Test cricket, the best form of the game."
Damning.
A supporter wrote: Honestly, as parents of cricketers (and other sports) we spend years teaching our children to respect the decisions of the officials who are umpiring/referees of the game… to carry on about ‘spirit of the game ‘ because they don’t like a decision which can only be made by the officials is a slap in the face to every parent who’s trying to raise a child who has respect for officials! The umpire is there to uphold the laws of the game and their decision is the beginning and the end!
The Media are the ones who never play by ‘the spirit of the game’
