England batter and former skipper Joe Root shared his surprising take on the incident that saw Jonny Bairstow dismissed uniquely in the Ashes series 2023 against Australia. Root highlighted the need for players to be more aware while acknowledging the legality of the dismissal. It was the second Test of the Ashes series as England were in the midst of a challenging run-chase of 371 runs. Jonny Bairstow, known for his resilience at the crease, was on 10 runs when the moment of controversy unfolded. After ducking a ball, Bairstow casually stepped outside his crease, assuming the ball was dead. However, Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey seized the opportunity, swiftly stumping Bairstow before he could return to safety.

The dismissal, which came on the fourth day of the game, was pivotal. England, needing 371 runs, was skittled for 327, resulting in a 2-0 series lead for Australia. The manner of Bairstow’s dismissal sparked an uproar.

Members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) voiced their displeasure at the Australian team as they returned to the Long Room for lunch, and debates raged about the ‘Spirit of Cricket’. Many argued that Bairstow should have been warned, while others maintained that the dismissal, though controversial, was within the laws of the game.

In the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Board’s documentary, ‘The Ashes 2023 Our Take’, Joe Root reflects on the incident with candor. “Initially I was quite angry, but I think when you are involved in the game it is very difficult to put yourself in the other position. So I would like to say I would have dealt with it differently (than Australia), but I could very easily have done the same thing,” Root admitted.

Root’s perspective is one of understanding and realism. “Jonny will hate me saying this, but if you stay in your crease you can’t get given out can you? At the end of the day it is within the laws of the game. You should be aware as a player,” he added.

Root lauded the leadership of skipper Ben Stokes, who rallied the team in the face of adversity. Stokes’ resilience and strategic acumen led England to a 2-2 draw in the series, a remarkable comeback after the contentious dismissal at Lord’s. The team won the third and fifth Tests comprehensively, and the fourth Test at Manchester was only interrupted by rain, preventing what could have been an England victory.

Root’s reflections extend to the broader impact of the incident on the team’s spirit. “It deserved more than for us to come out on the wrong end of that (Lord’s) result. For England’s captain to show us this is how we play our cricket regardless of the situation, regardless of what people might have said in the first innings, how we got dismissed, reckless, careless, no thought behind it. It was a really powerful moment for us as a team and the rest of the series as well,” he concluded.

In the end, while Australia retained the prestigious Ashes urn by drawing the series, they failed to win a series in England for the first time since 2001.

USA vs England, T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 Live Streaming: England will be squaring off against USA in their last Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2024 on Sunday in Barbados. This match is a must-win one for both the teams, especially England as they have a stronger chance of making it to the semi-finals. The Jos Buttler-led side will be coming to this clash after facing a shocking seven-run defeat against South Africa in a thrilling encounter. On the other hand, USA got thrashed by West Indies by 9 wickets. England have registered one victory in the Super 8s while USA lost have lost both their opening games. 

When will the USA vs England, T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match be played?

The USA vs England, T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match will be played on Sunday, June 23 (IST).

Where will the USA vs England, T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match be played?

The USA vs England, T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match will be played at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados 

What time will the USA vs England, T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match start?

The USA vs England, T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match will start at 8:00 PM IST. The toss will take place at 7:30 AM IST.

Which TV channels will telecast the USA vs England, T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match?

The USA vs England, T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match will be telecast in India on the Star Sports Network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the USA vs England, T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match?

The USA vs England, T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match will be streamed live on Disney plus Hotstar app and website.

(All the details are as per the information provided by the broadcaster)

USA vs ENG T20 World Cup 2024 LIVE Updates: Must-win game for England.© X (Twitter)

England opener Phil Salt said the convincing eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in their Super Eight clash has given his side “confidence and momentum” at the right time in the T20 World Cup after a chaotic run in the event’s group stage. Salt played a major hand in the win here, racing his way to an unbeaten 87 off 47 balls as the defending champions replied to the home team’s 180/4 with 181/2 in 17.3 overs.

“It’s been a very stop-start (tournament) for us. We had a hiccup against Australia and then, the rain out against Scotland. It didn’t really feel like we played much cricket up to this point,” Salt said in the post-match press meet.

“I feel in tournament cricket, you need a bit of confidence and momentum at the right time and you need to keep building on it. So, to get a win against the hosts gives us the first push in that direction,” he added.

The stats would show that Salt made his runs at a strike-rate in excess of 185, but the right-hander had to knuckle down a bit after the quick dismissals of Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali before opening up again.

Salt said he was eyeing the right moment to attack the West Indies bowlers.

“It was more about me batting through, once Jos got out, I was always going to sort of play the anchor role, especially when we sent Moeen as the lefty.

“I think it was about me just batting through that period and waiting for my time to strike,” he noted.

The 27-year-old Welshman switched to top gear in the 16th over bowled by Romario Shepherd, smashing 30 runs off the pacer to seal the chase.

“Obviously, Shepherd coming back from that end was my time to pull the trigger. In the back of my head I did, (visualise it) but I didn’t vocalise it to Jonny (Bairstow, his batting partner). I didn’t want him to say no.

“I feel like they’ve got such good spinners and they’ve bowled really well through the middle, so, I felt like the first sniff I got, I had to take that chance,” he added.

Salt also lauded pacer Jofra Archer and leg-spinner Adil Rashid for restricting the West Indies to a sub-200 total.

“I think we bowled really well coming here for the first time. I think we would have definitely taken 180. We had some really good plans and we kept a few of their main guys quiet.

“So, I think from Jofra and Rash (Rashid) that’s a really experienced, skilled bit of reading the game and then the execution,” said Salt.

Phil Salt slammed a belligerent unbeaten 87 as defending champions England began their T20 World Cup Super Eights campaign with a crushing eight-wicket win over the West Indies in St Lucia. Coming off a scorching display against Afghanistan, West Indies amassed a competitive 180 for four, but England waltzed to 181 for two in 17.3 overs in their Group 2 match. Salt led their charge with a bruising innings that came off 47 balls with seven fours and five sixes. The opener received copious help from Jonny Bairstow (48*).

But equal amount of credit should be given to the English bowlers too for producing as many as 51 dot balls with Jofra Archer (1/34) and Adil Rashid (1/21) accounting for 22 of them in their tidy spells.

Salt made full use of his reprieve by Nicholas Pooran on seven to cart the Windies bowlers around in the company of Bairstow as the Englishmen together milked 97 runs from 44 balls for the third wicket, while negotiating the hosts’ spin attack in the middle overs.

After a sedate start, England broke loose in the second over when skipper Jos Buttler struck two boundaries off Romario Sheperd to take 12 runs. Salt then came to his own, hammering an Andre Russell slower one for a six.

The duo continued their assault and Salt finished the power play smashing Alzarri Joseph for a four and a six to lift England to 58 for no loss in six overs, the best powerplay score by any team against the Caribbeans in this tournament.

Off-spinner Roston Chase finally gave the breakthrough when he noticed Buttler stepping forward and speared in a 108.9 kph delivery to catch the England skipper off guard.

The ball hit him hard and low on the front pad to be trapped leg before but it was a minor aberration as England pressed forward with determination towards a win.

Earlier, Windies got off to a splendid start as Brandon King and Johnson Charles opened with authority. The pair had the Windies flying at 40 for no loss in the fifth over, before they were hit with a cruel blow.

Attempting to drive Sam Curran down the ground, King (23; 13b) picked up what appeared to be a side strain and had to retire hurt.

The in-form Pooran joined Charles at the crease, lifting them to 54 in the power-play Pooran smoked Mark Wood for a leg-side six to start the eighth over, but England managed to tighten the screws after the drinks.

That was the final boundary before the mid-innings break.

Charles then ended a brief lull by smashing Rashid for a six.

But in the next over, England struck with Moeen Ali dismissing Charles (38; 34b), who holed out to Harry Brook at long-on.

Captain Rovman Powell took on off-spinner Ali with a maximum and went on to smash Liam Livingstone for three sixes in five balls in a 20-run over.

But Livingstone had the last laugh, picking up the crucial wicket of Powell (36 off 17) off his last delivery.

The English found some fight in the final five overs.

Archer found the edge of Pooran’s bat, as the heavy hitter removed for 36 off 32. Rutherford then dominated the strike in the last few overs to lift their total but that was not enough for them. 

England vs Pakistan 1st T20I, Live Updates© X (Twitter)

Australian skipper Pat Cummins opened up about his role in England batter Jonny Bairstow’s controversial stumping during the second Ashes Test last year, which proved to be a turning point in the series, igniting England’s motivation to bounce back from a scoreline of 0-2 to draw the series 2-2. During the second Test of the Ashes series back in July last year, Bairstow was stumped by wicketkeeper Alex Carey for just 10 runs in a run-chase of 371 runs. The stumping was done when Bairstow had stepped outside his crease, assuming that the ball was dead after he ducked it.

Just when he stepped out, Carey wasted no time in running him out. The dismissal proved to be a big one for Australia as England skittled out for 327 runs in the run-chase and went down in the series by 2-0.

The runout, carried out on the fourth day of the game, proved to be one of the biggest controversies in the recent history of the Ashes series. The Australian team was abused by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) members in the Long Room of the Lord’s Stadium when they came back for lunch, and debates on ‘Spirit of Cricket’ were done endlessly, with many fans and experts opining that Bairstow either should have been warned or the dismissal should not have been carried out. The dismissal, though, was legal as per the laws of cricket.

Speaking in a footage of ‘The Test’ documentary releasing on May 24 this month, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, Cummins said, “Cam Green was bowling and bowled a bouncer and he [Bairstow] ducked underneath it and then just walked out of his crease. So I just said to Kez [Carey] the ball before, I said, ‘Kez, just have a throw’.”

Carey was on point with his stumping as Bairstow was given out by the TV umpire. Speaking about walking back into the Long Room, Cummins recalled, “Walking back into the Long Room, it was like we had ripped the soul out of them … absolutely, yeah, people stepped over the line,” Cummins recalls in one of the interviews of the documentary.

Australian batter Usman Khawaja also said, “One of the members … was spraying me (abusing him). I was like, ‘nup, you cannot be saying that stuff’. He said, ‘Oh, I can say whatever I want’, like a sense of entitlement almost.”

Batter Marnus Labuschagne also added, “One of them was foaming at the mouth. A bloke hit Bull [nickname for David Warner] when he went up the stairs.”

Reflecting on the moment in the dressing room, Carey quipped, “Someone told me to throw it…not sure who it was.”

Mitchell Marsh, the Australian all-rounder, recalled the scene at the dining room, “I was sitting there like a school kid who should not be laughing…eating my soup, then I look up at Jonny and Jonny is staring over at us and I am like [mimics trying not to spit out his soup].”

Cummins was adamant that the dismissal was right, saying, “Just clear-cut, it was out.”

This run out charged up England, who had given a great fight against Australia till that point. They won the third and fifth Tests comprehensively, drawing the series 2-2. The Three Lions could have also won the fourth Test at Manchester had it not been interrupted by rain. Australia retained the prestigious Ashes urn by drawing the series but could not win the series in England for the first time since 2001.

Following the stumping, Carey copped a lot of abuse on social media and from the crowd during the matches as well. This abuse reached such an extent that Australia’s cybersecurity police had to get involved.

In the documentary, Carey and his wife, Eloise, discussed the incident. “That is probably the thing that shocked me the most, the abuse, people going after you…personal, family, all that sort of stuff.”

Carey’s form, however, slid down after the Lord’s Test and he could not make it to the ODI side for the Cricket World Cup taking place in India later that year. He silenced talks around his selection with an unbeaten, match-winning 98 against New Zealand at Christchurch in March this year.

Star batter Steve Smith admitted that he was worried about Carey’s well-being during all this time.

“I could sense he was not quite right mentally and I can understand it. I was worried about him and his well-being,” Smith said.

“Everyone projected on Kez and did not project on anyone else. It was all on Kez. Looking back on it, I just feel so bad for him what he went through at the time and what his family would have gone through being there at the time. It would have been so hard,” added Khawaja.