Cricket legend Ian Chappell has pointed the finger at the game’s administrators over the drama surrounding Jonny Bairstow’s controversial dismissal in the second Ashes Test.
Conversations around the spirit of cricket were widespread after Alex Carey stumped Bairstow during a crucial stage of England’s run chase on day five at Lord’s.
Chappell defended Carey for his act and suggested the laws needed to be clarified by those in charge of the game after the criticism levelled at Australia’s wicketkeeper for making a legal play.
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“There is a lot of rubbish spoken by people who don’t know much about the game and haven’t played the game,” he said on Nine’s Today.
“There’ll be people who would’ve appealed and people who wouldn’t have appealed, that’s fine, it’s always the case.
“If you’re the person who commits a Mankad, it’s the fielding side or the bowler who gets criticised, and it’s the batter who’s trying to cheat.
“The administrators have got to take a lot of blame because as usual it’s the administrators who make the mistakes and the players cop it in the neck.
“Bairstow was totally wrong and you cannot mount an argument sensibly to say (Carey) shouldn’t have done it.”
The former Australian Test skipper took aim at Bairstow for his “stupidity” which led to the controversial dismissal.
Bairstow stunned by Carey’s act
“The English, if they’re going to blame anyone, they should get onto Bairstow and say, ‘Mate, next time, for heaven’s sake, watch the ball’,” he said.
“For anybody to say that Bairstow wasn’t out they’re talking out their hat. The first thing you should learn as a cricketer is if the ball goes past you, you watch it and make sure (you see) what the wicketkeeper does.
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“Once he throws the ball to someone else it’s dead and you can walk out of your crease.
“That’s stupidity to not check and see what the keeper is doing.”
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