Brendon McCullum slammed by Australia coach after Bairstow controversy comments

03 July 2023 , 22:07

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Australia coach Andrew McDonald (Image: Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)

Australia coach Andrew McDonald slammed England counterpart Brendon McCullum over comments he made about the controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow.

Bairstow was stumped by Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey, having walked down the wicket to speak with Ben Stokes after presuming the ball was dead. However, Bairstow was given out by the umpires and there was much debate after the game, which Australia won by 43 runs to go 2-0 up in the Ashes, about the dismissal.

Australia captain Pat Cummins insisted it was "totally fair play", while both Stokes and McCullum said they would have withdrawn their appeal if England had taken a wicket in a similar manner. And when asked if the incident could strain the relationships between the two sides, McCullum told BBC Test Match Special: "I can't imagine we'll be having a beer anytime soon, if that's what you're asking.

"From our point of view, we've got three Test matches to try and land some blows and try and win the Ashes and that's where our focus will be."

However, McDonald was "disappointed" by McCullum's statement, responding: "I haven't spoken to him, heard that comment for the first time, and somewhat disappointed by that.

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"There's no doubt when a player is leaving their crease or leaving their ground at certain periods of time that you take that opportunity. It's like when a player is running down the wicket to Nathan Lyon, does he take the opportunity to fire a ball down the legside because he's leaving his crease?

"There's no doubt about that. You see a run-out opportunity at point, you throw at the bowler's end."

McCullum, though, believes Australia will come to regret their actions one day, having been involved in a similar incident himself back in 2006.

England coach Brendon McCullum suggested the incident will sour relations between the two teams (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

During a Test match against Sri Lanka, McCullum ran out Muttiah Muralitharan while he ran congratulated team-mate Kumar Sangakkara on reaching a century without realising the ball was not yet dead. New Zealand did not withdraw their appeal and Muralitharan was out.

McCullum apologised to Muralitharan and Sangakkara during his 2016 MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture, stating: "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, and it's that aspect that I want to focus on a little more this evening.

"Because nearly ten years after running out Murali, I view things very differently and I would hope that I am a very different person. Kumar Sangakkara is here tonight. Sanga, I admire you enormously. I regard you as a friend. And I take this opportunity to apologise to you and Murali for my actions on that day."

And McCullum expects Australia will feel similarly one day.

"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," he explained. "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."

Matthew Cooper