Jonny Bairstow. (Photo Source: Twitter)
The Ashes is always a fiercely-contested affair. England and Australia don’t give each other an inch in their quest to capture the urn. Incidentally, a stroll for a few inches from the wicket by Jonny Bairstow turned the series on its head as the English fans and players are having a real go at their counterparts.
The incident happened on Day 5 of the Lord’s Test when England were chasing a gigantic fourth-innings target of 371 to level the series 1-1. With England stuttering at 193/5, it was imperative that Jonny Bairstow stitched a big partnership with captain Ben Stokes. Things didn’t transpire that way as the English wicketkeeper was stumped by Alex Carey off the bowling of Cameron Green. Bairstow ducked a bouncer from the Aussie all-rounder and left the crease thinking that the ball was no longer in play. Carey tossed the ball onto the stumps and managed to send his opposite number packing.
This didn’t go down well with the English players and the fans. They were left fuming as they felt that Australia didn’t uphold the spirit of cricket by dismissing a batter as they did. Now, in a video uploaded on social media taken during the post-match handshakes on Day 5, Bairstow is seen shaking hands with opposition skipper Pat Cummins. However, the 33-year-old gave a death stare to the Australian seamer while shaking hands. The stern expression from Bairstow kind of suggests that he was fuming from the inside after how his innings ended on Sunday.
Handshakes at the end of Day Five.#LoveLords #Ashes pic.twitter.com/emaIMKrjNC
— Lord’s Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) July 2, 2023
The third Test begins on July 6
There is a short turnaround between the second and third Tests as the player will be seen in action again on July 6. The third Test takes place at Headingley, Leeds. England will have to win all the remaining three Tests to reclaim the Ashes. The last time these two sides met at Headingley in a Test match was in 2019 when Ben Stokes played a herculean innings in the fourth innings to take his team to a one-wicket win.