03 July 2023 , 17:00
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Brendon McCullum has told Australia they will come to regret their disregard for the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ - just like him.
The England coach was dismayed by the way the Australians dismissed Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s because he wasn’t looking to take a run. And the similarities between this and a couple of incidents in McCullum’s own career are precisely why he now thinks differently about the spirit of the game.
“It’s a huge moment in the game and I think with the benefit of time and maturity as a player you understand how vital the spirit of the game is to this great game that we play,” said McCullum. “You make decisions that you sometimes look back on and say did I get that right?
“When I was a younger man I didn’t quite understand the significance of what the game and the spirit of the game means. It’s what the defining point of the game is compared to others, and it’s only with the benefit of time and experience that we’re able to learn that and cherish it.
“In time, we’ll see, but I get the feeling that it might have an effect on them.”
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He also thinks it will have an effect on the relations between the teams, already saying they won’t be having a beer anytime soon and adding: “I imagine it will affect it, I think it has to. In the end, they made a play, they’ve got to live with that, we would have made a different play but that’s life.”
McCullum controversially ran Kumar Sangakkara out back in 2006
The stumping of Jonny Bairstow has ended any notion of a 'Friendly Ashes' seriesBack in 2006, McCullum was keeping against Sri Lanka when Kumar Sangakkara reached his century, and in his excitement to celebrate with his team-mate Muttiah Muralitharan left the crease while the ball was still live. McCullum took off the bails and amid the furore, New Zealand upheld their appeal and the decision stood.
Since then though, McCullum has learnt to see the game differently, and regrets how much importance he and his team-mates put on winning above all else. The former Kiwi skipper actually delivered the Cowdrey Lecture on the Spirit of Cricket back in 2016 when he addressed the incident head on and made a full apology.
He said: “If I could turn back time, I would. We were within the laws of the game but not the spirit and there is a very important difference which is glaringly obvious to me years later. I view things very differently and I would hope that I am a very different person.”