Ricky Ponting says England skipper Ben Stokes made a big mistake right after Jonny Bairstow was sacked in one of the most controversial Ashes moments ever
- Ricky Ponting has flogged Ben Stokes’ leadership at Lord’s
- Stokes batted when Jonny Bairstow was sacked on day five
- Stokes later accused Aussies of winning at all costs
Ricky Ponting believes England skipper Ben Stokes lacked leadership in a clutch moment as debate continues to rage over the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow from Lord’s on day five of the second Ashes Test.
Speaking to the ICC Review, the Australian cricketing great also disagreed that Alex Carey’s now-infamous Bairstow punch went against the spirit of the game.
“The two things that separate these two captains is that Ben Stokes had about three hours to think about his answer,” Ponting said.
“Pat Cummins had about 10 seconds to think about what he was going to do and whether he was going to uphold it (the appeal) or not. It’s pretty easy for Ben at the end to sit down and give that point of view.
“But he was actually out there as the captain of his team. He could have asked then and there in the heat of the moment.
Ponting believes England skipper Ben Stokes lacked leadership at one point as debate over Jonny Bairstow’s sacking continues in second Ashes Test
In the post-match press conference, Ben Stokes suggested that the Aussies disrespected the sport by being willing to win at all costs at Lord’s
“If he had thought enough, he would have said to the referees, ‘You know, was it over? Did you start moving? Is the ball dead?’ Those were the questions to be answered then and not at the end of the game when he said it.’
The former champion batsman also stated that Stokes, his teammates, supporters and the English media did not respect the umpires’ decision – which was correct under the rules of cricket.
In addition, talk of the Aussies playing with a win-at-all-costs mentality in the house of cricket rekindled the man they call ‘Punter’.
“If we took that Bairstow moment out of this series you would say this series has been played with a lot of spunk and everything to do with the spirit of cricket and I don’t think anyone would disagree,” added Ponting to it. .
“But something like that pops up and then this whole spirit of cricketing is thrown up again. I absolutely believe in it because there’s more to it than just that one in or out (Bairstow) decision.
“It’s respecting your opponents, it’s respecting the opponent’s captain, it’s respecting the referees and it’s respecting the public.”
Ponting also pointed out that Bairstow made a similar attempt to beat Marnus Labuschagne earlier in the Lord’s Test, when Australia were in the fold, which the English media have largely failed to report.
Stokes believes Jonny Bairstow’s controversial sacking at Lord’s (pictured) went against the spirit of the game – but Ricky Ponting says he missed his best chance to make that point
And thanks to some eagle-eyed followers on social media, footage has surfaced of Bairstow himself producing a highly controversial stumping in a county cricket match in 2014.
The video shows Samit Patel leaving a wide ball for Nottinghamshire and Bairstow waiting on purpose, his gloves next to the stumps.
Bairstow, the Yorkshire keeper, can be seen hurriedly knocking the bail off as Patel lifted his foot off the ground.
When asked after the game if his glove work was questionable, Bairstow’s 12-word answer came back to haunt him nearly a decade later – ‘it’s within the rules of the game and that’s the way it is.’
The third Ashes Test at Headingley kicks off at 8pm AEST on July 6, in what promises to be a fiery atmosphere for the tourists – with reinforced security confirmed – as they look to win the series.
Australia last won the Ashes on English soil in 2001.