Ben Stokes fans flames of Ashes debate; Pat Cummins stands firm on decision

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England captain Ben Stokes took the moral high ground over Jonny Bairstow's controversial dismissal by Australia at Lord's, insisting he would not want to win a Test in such divisive fashion. </p>

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The tourists took a 2-0 Ashes lead as they wrapped up a 43-run victory in the second Test at the home of cricket, but a gripping five-day contest seems destined to be remembered for the flashpoint - as well as Stokes' magnificent century in response. </p>

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Alex Carey's opportunistic stumping of Bairstow was the pivot point, with the wicketkeeper throwing down the stumps as England's number seven wandered out of his crease in the belief that Cameron Green's over was complete. </p>

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The letter of the law meant Bairstow had to go as the ball was not officially considered dead, but a capacity Lord's crowd reacted in outrage to what they saw as an underhand tactic. Deafening boos and endless refrains of "same old Aussies, always cheating" dominated for the rest of the day as Stokes blazed a defiant 155. </p>

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The 32-year-old's brilliant best was not enough as he fell short of completing a 371-run chase that may have trumped his Headingley heroics in 2019 and he could not hide his disappointment at the nature of the Bairstow stumping. </p>

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"The first thing that needs to be said is that it is out. But would I want to win a game in that manner? The answer for me is no," he said. </p>

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"Jonny was in his crease, then left his crease to come out and have the conversation between overs like every batsman does. </p>

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"For Australia it was the matchwinning moment. If I was fielding captain at the time I would have put a lot more pressure on the umpires to ask them what their decision was around the (end of the) over. Then I would have had a real deep think about the spirit of the game." </p>

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Asked if his approach would change for the rest of the series now that Australia had set the bar, Stokes said: "Would I do that back to them? No, I'm not looking to do something like that because they did it." </p>

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Pat Cummins, long known for his sunny disposition and mild manner, appeared taken aback by the sustained jeers from the stands. More loud boos followed the final wicket of the match, drowning out the cheers of the touring group in green and gold, and Australia captain Cummins was barracked at the post-match presentation. </p>

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However, he made no apologies for upholding the appeal against Bairstow and said the England keeper had been looking for similar opportunities throughout the match. </p>

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"It's in the laws, totally fair play. That's how I saw it," he said. </p>

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"You see Jonny do it all the time, he did it day one to (David) Warner and in 2019 to Steve (Smith). It's what keepers do if you see an opportunity. All credit to Carey, he rolled it at the stumps, Jonny left his crease and you leave the rest to the umpires." </p>

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Stokes did his best to block out the external noise while he was batting - a remarkable knock of controlled aggression, tactical strike rotation and brute force - but was taken aback by the unprecedented reaction at a ground known for its laidback 'Lord's hum'. </p>

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He expects more of the same at&nbsp;Headingley next week and expects the volume to be cranked up. </p>

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"I definitely think it's going to be ramped up," he said. </p>

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"When we go to Australia we get lambasted as well - 90,000 Australians at the MCG cursing at you. That's part of the sport we play, you get thousands of people who want their team to win and they'll just jump on something. </p>

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"I could see it was ramping up and getting a bit vocal, but it wasn't until I got out and went out on the balcony to watch the remaining half hour…I was just like "I've never heard Lord's like this". It reminded me of the World Cup final in 2019. </p>

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"It was nice to see Lord's (like that), a ground that's not got a reputation for the atmosphere and noise. Today was one of the days where Lord's showed up." </p>

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England now need to show up themselves. After successive defeats to start the series they need to a hat-trick of wins at Headingley, Old Trafford and The Oval to reclaim the urn. </p>

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"We've won 3-0 against New Zealand and we won 3-0 against Pakistan, in Pakistan," was Stokes' defiant message as he looked back on past glories from his year as captain. </p>

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"We've won three games in a row twice. All we're thinking about is winning the series 3-2. We have to win these three games to get this urn back and we're a team who are obviously willing to put ourselves out there and do things against the narrative. So, these next three games are an even better opportunity for us than we have ever found ourselves in before." </p>

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England named a 15-man squad for Thursday's third Test, with back-up leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed dropping out alongside seamer Matthew Potts. Moeen Ali (index finger) and Mark Wood - overlooked this week due to fitness concerns - retained their places, as did vice-captain Ollie Pope, who injured his right shoulder while fielding. </p>

<p>The article <a href="https://www.planetsport.com/cricket/news/ben-stokes-fans-flames-ashes-debate-pat-cummins-stands-firm-decision">Ben Stokes fans flames of Ashes debate; Pat Cummins stands firm on decision </a> appeared first on Planetsport.com.</p>