Former Australian captain Mark Taylor has emphasised that cricketers should be aware that stumping is a legitimate mode of dismissal as per the laws of the game. He reminds them that it is ultimately the batsman’s responsibility to protect their wicket.
The dismissal of England’s Jonny Bairstow on the final day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s has reignited the discussion around the spirit of the game versus the rules of cricket.
During the match, Bairstow evaded a slow bouncer from Australia’s Cameron Green and stepped out of the crease, assuming that the ball was no longer in play. However, wicketkeeper Alex Carey swiftly broke the stumps with a direct throw, resulting in Bairstow being declared stumped by the third umpire, Marais Erasmus.
“The batsmen have to remember there are 10 ways to get out in Test cricket. One of them is by being stumped, and it doesn’t say in the laws it has to be off a slow bowler. If you’re going to wander out of your crease doing whatever you want to do, be mindful that you can be stumped,” Taylor in his column for Sydney Morning Herald.
“So, your job as a batsman is to get back in your crease until the ball is dead.”
Taylor said the mode of dismissal has been legitimate since the time he has known and played the game, adding that he had “no issues” with what Australia skipper Pat Cummins and his team did at the moment in time.
“I’ve got no issue at all with what Pat Cummins and the Australian team did during the last day of the Lord’s Test when they stumped Jonny Bairstow.
“It’s a legitimate form of dismissal and has been as long as I’ve known the game of cricket. I’ve seen many wicketkeepers throwing the ball towards the stumps to try and claim an unsuspecting batsman’s wicket.”
