‘Learned in under-11s’: Jonny Bairstow act proves England just don’t get it

Jonny Bairstow is clearly still spewing from his controversial run out in the second Test but his cheeky act proves England just don’t get it.

Days on from Jonny Bairstow’s stumping at Lord’s, England have proved they still don’t get it.

Australia have showed no remorse for Alex Carey’s stumping of Bairstow, who inexplicably wandered down the pitch after the Aussie keeper threw the ball at the stumps.

And nor should they as over had not been called and Carey threw the stumps down in 0.87 seconds, proving he believed the ball was not dead.

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Bairstow had scraped the wicket with his foot and walked away to do some gardening on the day five pitch, as Carey realised he’d pulled off a masterstroke — albeit an unpopular one.

At the time, Bairstow looked stunned and was reportedly privately fuming over the dismissal. Moving forward to the third Test just a matter of days later, the Headingley crowd booed the Aussies regularly on the first day of the third Test, but it wasn’t as hostile as was first expected.

However, Bairstow stirred up the crowd late in the day, almost theatrically making it clear he was remaining in his crease during his unbeaten 19-ball stay before stumps on day one.

But while Bairstow wanted to make a point, it’s the exact point he should have learned long before it occurred in a Test match.

That’s right Jonny, stay in the crease. Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP

Players at any age and level of cricket know not to leave their crease without knowing the ball is dead or the over has been called.

A quick look behind to Carey or even to the umpire before wandering down the wicket could have told him that.

Speaking on TalkSport, former England quick Steve Harmison said that “Bairstow made a mistake”, but admitted: “You can’t leave your crease. Under-11s are told that.”

The truth behind any calls for the ball being dead, Carey waiting until Bairstow left the crease: Take a look please. Carey threw it while Jonny was still in his crease. I learnt in U12s: don't leave your crease until the ball is dead. Bairstow's fault. #Ashes#Ashes2023#Ashes23pic.twitter.com/WV1mdpol87

— Paul Kneeshaw (@Stick_Beetle) July 4, 2023

And it wasn’t the first time Bairstow had done it with Pat Cummins noting at the time that the move was premeditated, revealing Carey had seen Bairstow leaving his crease early “three or four balls previous”.

While Bairstow’s theatrical act could have been seen a lighthearted moment following a tense week which saw TV pundits, cricket legends and even the Prime Ministers of both nations taking aim, Bairstow didn’t seem like he was laughing.

Now you’re getting it Jonny! Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

Apparently he hadn’t been listening to cricket legends from his own country who pinned the blame all on Bairstow.

Ian Bell told Betfair: “Jonny will know that it’s on him,” Bell said.

“After all was said and done after defeat on day five he would have gone back to his hotel room, closed the door, looked in the mirror and said to himself, ‘That’s my mistake.’

“If he had just looked behind to see what Alex Carey was up to, there would’ve been no issue.”

Mark Butcher said: “We’d watched him do it a couple of times before, Alex threw the stumps down, we all thought that it was absolutely kosher and fine and we didn’t think for a second that there was any reason to recount the appeal.

“It is not up to the player to call time on tea. It’s not up to the player to decide when it is over. It is not up to the player to decide when the ball is dead. You make sure, it’s your responsibility (to make sure) the ball is not live before you go wandering out of your crease. It’s pretty damn simple.”

Ex-England captain Michael Atherton added: “Bairstow didn’t even look behind him to see if the ball had landed in the gloves. He kind of just tapped his foot and wandered out of his ground.

“A perfectly fair and valid dismissal and a dozy bit of cricket from Jonny Bairstow. And a costly one because England may well have won that match.”

It's like England gave away their possessions and then claimed they were robbed.

Jonny Bairstow couldn’t turn the drama into runs. Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Before the Test began, Joe Root said Bairstow had a knack of landing himself in trouble but that he revelled in the battle.

Last year, he went from 13 off 60 balls to a hundred off 119 balls after a verbal stoush with Virat Kohli.

“Jonny was not trying to gain an advantage,” Root said before the Test.

“He felt hard done by. And I don’t think anyone will be leaving their crease here.

“So we have to use all the fuel but do it in a controlled manner. That doesn’t mean not to show any emotion because that might be how to get someone like Jonny going. Everyone will deal with this in different ways. But we musn’t get too carried away with it all.”

Bairstow was out for 12, taking a wild swipe to a full ball from Mitchell Starc which ex-England skipper Sir Alastair Cook called a “poor shot”.

They may well have jumped the gun on that one.