- Sunak agrees with England captain Stokes on Bairstow’s dismissal controversy
- Sunak believes Australia’s actions were against the spirit of cricket
- Prime Minister supports MCC’s decision to suspend members involved in altercation
A spokesperson for Downing Street stated that the prime minister concurred with England captain Ben Stokes regarding Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal.
Rishi Sunak has joined the controversy surrounding the controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s, with his representative stating that he does not believe Australia’s actions were in keeping with the ethos of cricket.
The official spokesman for the prime minister stated that Mr. Sunak concurred with England captain Ben Stokes regarding the incident in which Bairstow avoided Cameron Green’s bouncer.
After tapping the crease, he took a few strides beyond it to prod the ball.
Alex Carey, the wicketkeeper for Australia, then threw an underarm delivery and jumped for delight when he struck the stumps.
The umpires swiftly determined that the English competitor was out.
Following the incident, the England captain questioned whether it was in the “spirit of the game,” stating, “If I had been fielding captain at the time, I would have placed a lot more pressure on the umpires to inquire about their decision regarding the ‘over.
“At that point, I would have seriously considered the spirit of the game and whether or not I wanted to potentially win a game with such an incident occurring.” “The answer is no.”
Monday, when asked about the controversy, the official spokesperson for Mr. Sunak stated, “The prime minister concurs with Ben Stokes. He stated that he would never want to win a game the way Australia did.
The game gave us a chance to see Ben Stokes at his best, and it was an incredible test match. He is confident that England will recover at Headingley.”
When asked if Mr. Sunak believed Australia’s actions were inconsistent with the ethos of cricket, his representative responded, “Yes.”
Mr. Sunak, an avid cricket enthusiast, attended the fourth day of the test match at Lord’s on Saturday.
Despite Stokes’ 155-run innings, Australia ultimately prevailed by 43 runs, taking a 2-0 lead.
Bairstow’s dismissal was met with boos, jeers, and repeated chants of “same old Aussies, always cheating” from the 32,000-strong crowd.
Members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) exchanged impassioned words with Australian players as they left for lunch in the Long Room later.
Mr. Sunak’s spokesman stated that the prime minister thought it was “appropriate” that the MCC “took swift action to suspend any member accused of bad behavior.”
