‘You should be aware as a player’ - Joe Root admits Jonny Bairstow’s mistake in controversial Ashes dismissal

The Ashes 2023 were full of ups and downs for both England and Australia. With the series ending in a draw and Australia retaining the Ashes, England had many memorable moments from the five-game series despite it not going their way. One of the most controversial moments from the series came at the Lord’s when Jonny Bairstow was dismissed after he walked out of his crease. 

After a delivery, Bairstow walked out of his crease without checking whether the umpire had called for an over. At that moment, Aussie wicketkeeper Alex Carey threw the ball at the stumps, which saw Bairstow walk back to the pavilion. The moment led to ugly scenes on the ground, with Australia being booed at by the English crowd throughout the series.

Many England stars came forward to talk about how Australia should have withdrawn their appeal considering the spirit of the game. However, ace batter Joe Root seems to have a different opinion. Root admitted that it was Bairstow’s mistake that he walked out of his crease and that his dismissal was within the rules of the game. 

"Initially I was quite angry, but I think when you're involved in the game it's very difficult to put yourself in the other position, but I could very easily have done the same thing. At the end of the day, it's within the laws of the game. You should be aware as a player. Jonny will hate me saying this, but if you stay in your crease, you can't get given out can you?" Joe Root said in a new documentary series titled The Ashes 2023: Our Take.

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Who knows whether it was right or wrong: Bairstow

Furthermore, Jonny Bairstow was also asked his opinion on the moment, to which the veteran batter opined that everyone is just trying to represent their country, and if they can be okay with their decisions, then that's okay.

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"Who knows whether it was right or wrong, or anything in between, We're out there representing ourselves, and as long as you can go home and be all right with yourself then so be it,” Bairstow said.