Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sided with his England Cricket team on the Spirit of the Game controversy surrounding Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal in the second test match of the Ashes series.
“The prime minister agrees with Ben Stokes. He said he simply wouldn’t want to win a game in the manner Australia did,” spokesperson for PM Rishi Sunak said
He also responded Yes on being asked the question if PM Sunak believes if Australia’s actions in the Bairstow dismissal were against the spirit of the game.
However, PM Sunak was also appreciative of the century by the England captain in the second test match and was confident about his team making a comeback in the third test match in Headingley. England are down 2-0 in the five-test series and another loss would mean the Brits losing their chance to get their hands on their prestigious Ashes urn.
“But the game did provide an opportunity to see Ben Stokes at his best and it was an incredible test match. He has confidence that England will bounce back at Headingley (in the Third Test),” the spokesperson noted
A huge controversy erupted after Australia’s Alex Carey stumped Bairstow just before lunch on day five of the Test match. Reportedly, Bairstow was not trying to take a run, but was moving ahead to have a routine conversation with his partner when he was stumped. While the third umpire gave Bairstow out, cricket fans around the world were left wondering whether the decision was in the spirit of the game.
Sharing his opinion on the dismissal, skipper Ben Stokes noted he would not have wanted to win the game in that manner, he said “If the shoe was on the other foot I would have put more pressure on the umpires and asked whether they had called over and had a deep think about the whole spirit of the game. Would I want to win a game in that manner? The answer for me is no”
Meanwhile, cricket fan Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that he was proud of the men’s and women’s cricket teams for winning their opening Ashes matches against Australia. The Australian PM noted, “Same old Aussies — always winning!” he added. “(I) look forward to welcoming them home victorious.”
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Updated: 04 Jul 2023, 11:15 AM IST
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