Rishi Sunak says Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal in second Ashes test is ‘not in the spirit of cricket’

Rishi Sunak today lashed out at Australia over the controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow in the second Ashes test, saying it ‘not in the spirit of cricket’.

The Prime Minister sided with England captain Ben Stokes because of the way the wicketkeeper was stunned after he left his crease at Lord’s, earning an Aussie win.

It comes as a video in which Australian star Matthew Renshaw mocked members of the Marylebone Cricket Club who booed and harassed his team after the match, calling them ‘cheats’.

Renshaw could be seen in the clip turning to a group of jeering members as he made his way up the stairs and appearing to point at them with a smile.

In an unforgettable fifth-day finish at cricket’s home ground, the tourists were harassed and booed from the pitch after achieving a 43-run success despite Stokes’ best efforts.

Australian keeper Alex Carey knocked down his fellow wicketkeeper’s stumps after Bairstow ducked a Cameron Green bouncer, tapped his bat behind the crease and began to walk down the pitch to talk to Stokes.

Bairstow felt the over had been completed which would have made the ball dead, but Carey’s intervention was ruled within the Laws and the wicket stood.

Nearly 32,000 fans in the stands became apoplectic and things even took an angry turn in the usually polite seclusion of the Long Room, where Usman Khawaja and David Warner exchanged words with jeering members.

Asked about the actions of the Australian cricket team on Sunday, Mr Sunak’s official spokesperson said the Prime Minister agreed that their actions were not in line with the spirit of cricket.

“The Prime Minister agrees with Ben Stokes who said he just wouldn’t want to win a game like Australia did,” he added.

A video shows Australian star Matthew Renshaw appearing to mock members of the Marylebone Cricket Club who booed and harassed his team after the match

“The match was an opportunity to see Ben Stokes at his best and it was an incredible Test match and he is confident England will bounce back at Headingley.”

Mr Sunak praised the MCC’s ‘quick action’ against members who confronted the Australian team.

“He thinks it was right that the MCC took swift action to suspend any member accused of misconduct,” the Prime Minister’s spokesman added.

“He was there when Nathan Lyon came to bat on Saturday. He was obviously in a lot of pain and he got a standing ovation from the members there and I think he felt that was much more in line with the spirit of the game.

But Downing Street downplayed the prospect of Mr Sunak clearing up the row when he next speaks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“I think the public would want the Prime Minister to focus on core issues of the UK-Australia relationship and while there will always be a friendly rivalry I think there will be more focus on more core issues,” the spokesman said.

Marylebone Cricket Club later suspended the membership of three individuals pending an investigation.

The brawl also saw a police force wade into Australia, with Victoria Police jokingly tweeting: ‘We’d like to thank Jonny Bairstow for reminding everyone of the dangers of stepping over the crease before you get the go-ahead. Check out our road safety tips ➡ then tag a grumpy Englishman (we’ll go @metpoliceuk first).’

Stokes made it clear after the match that the manner of the Bairstow wicket left a bitter taste and suggested he might have withdrawn the appeal in similar circumstances.

“The first thing that needs to be said is that it’s out. But would I want to win a match that way? The answer for me is no,” he said.

“If the shoe was on the other foot, I would think deeply about the whole spirit of the game. If I was field 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.

‘Jonny was in his crease, then left his crease to come out and talk between overs, as every batsman does. It was the moment for Australia to win the match.’

With Australia also coming out victorious in a thrilling finish in the series opener at Edgbaston, the Stokes side now face the prospect of becoming the first England team since 2001 to lose an Ashes at home.

To reclaim the urn they need to win at Headingley when the battle resumes on Thursday and do the same at Old Trafford and The Oval.

“All we’re thinking about is winning the series 3-2,” he said.

“We need to win these three games to get this urn back and we are a team that is clearly willing to put ourselves out there and do things that go against the narrative.

“So these next three games are an even better chance for us than ever before.”

Ahead of an even more feverish atmosphere in Leeds next week, Stokes added: “I definitely think it will be stepped up.

“When we go to Australia we get berated too – 90,000 Australians at the MCG berating you. That’s part of the sport we play, you have thousands of people who want their team to win and then they jump on something.’

Australian captain Pat Cummins was visibly surprised by the vicious reaction he experienced, but made no apology for the Bairstow wicket.

“It’s in the law, totally fair play. That’s how I saw it,” he said.

“You see Jonny doing it all the time, he did it on day one for (David) Warner and in 2019 for Steve (Smith). That’s what keepers do when you see an opportunity. All credit to Carey, he rolled it by the stumps, Jonny left his fold and you leave the rest to the umpires.’