'English Cricket's Hypocrisy And Sense of Entitlement is Something Else': Aakash Chopra on 'Spirit of Cricket' Debate

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has reacted to the controversial debate of the ‘spirit of cricket’ after Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal on day 5 of the second Ashes Test at the Lord’s. Chopra pointed out the hypocrisy in English cricket after Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum and some former England cricketers called Bairstow’s dismissal against the ‘spirit of cricket’.

Several cricket fans started digging out some old videos of England’s team’s dubious dismissals. A fan shared a clip of Jack Leach’s dismissal of Henry Nicholls as he got caught after his shot hit the bat of non-striker Dary Mitchell.

Also Read | Ashes 2023: Ollie Pope Under Close Watch After Shoulder Injury, Says England Coach Brendon McCullum

Chopra also shared his views on the matter and lashed out at English players for starting the ‘spirit of cricket’ debate.

“Ouch. You can even see the torchbearer of ‘The Spirit of the Game’ shrugging his shoulders instead of initiating the process to withdraw the appeal. After all, you wouldn’t want to be remembered for things like these.

“Also, there are multiple videos circulating calling out their hypocrisy…including some involving the current players. English cricket’s hypocrisy and the sense of entitlement is something else,” Chopra wrote on Twitter.

The fans also shared a video of Stuart Broad not walking despite edging the ball in the Nottingham Test during the 2013 Ashes series.

Meanwhile, on Day 5 of the 2nd Test, Alex Carey spotted Jonny Bairstow wandering out of his crease as the English batter assumed the ball was dead after he ducked underneath a short delivery. Carey landed a direct hit and appealed for stumping which was upheld.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) came has explained the law behind the dismissal.

“According to law 20.1.2 of the MCC’s Laws of Cricket, “the ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play,” ICC stated.

Australia went on to win the match by 43 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The third Test starts from July 6 at Leeds.