London: The Australian squad was criticized for playing against the "spirit of cricket," and the renowned Lord's stadium in London was filled with cries of "cheat."

Days after delivering his judgement on the contentious dismissal of Jonny Bairstow in the second Ashes Test, which Australia won by 43 runs, famous umpire Simon Taufel offered a long justification for why he believes it was a "correct decision." While the dismissal of Bairstow was perfectly legal and in accordance with the rules of the game during the first session of Day 5 by Alex Carey, the England players and fans were unable to process the information.

The Australian squad was criticized for playing against the "spirit of cricket," and the renowned Lord's stadium in London was filled with cries of "cheat." As evidenced by videos posted on social media, several dissatisfied MCC members who shared this sentiment got into a fight with Australian players Usman Khawaja and David Warner.

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What actually happened, then? Bairstow may have thought the ball was dead when he strolled toward Ben Stokes at the other end after ducking Cameron Green's short delivery, letting it to reach the wicketkeeper. Carey, however, used an underarm toss to knock out the stumps, and the Australian team requested an appeal. After the subject was sent upstairs, the third umpire—in this case, Marais Erasmus—declared it out.

"This is a question I have been inundated with, so I thought it best to share my thoughts publicly by asking everyone a question or eight to consider …

"Have you seen any umpire tell a fielding side that the keeper standing back is not allowed to attempt a stumping?

"Was there a complaint from anyone when Bairstow tried to stump Marnus exactly the same way in the first innings?

"What has Jonny Bairstow said about his dismissal? He has been very quiet. Why?

"My experience is when people don't like a dismissal under the Laws of Cricket, they cite the Spirit of Cricket to support their view.

"Which part of the codified Preamble (the Spirit of Cricket) was breached by the fielding side?

"What did the fielding side do in effecting a legitimate dismissal that unfairly impacted the ability of the batter in their attempt not to be dismissed? (Did they run into him or distract him or prevent him making good his ground?)"

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"Should a batter be immune from dismissal as per the Laws by simply being negligent (and leaving his ground too early)?"

"Did England retire Ben Duckett when they disagreed with the Starc catch decision as per the Laws and umpires' decision?"

"The hypocrisy and lack of consistency from some people and groups is quite interesting and concerning for the future of our game. Maybe I am the odd one out here? The good news is that we are actively engaged with Test cricket, the best form of the game," he ended."

"Cricket owes much of its appeal and enjoyment to the fact that it should be played not only according to the Laws, but also within the Spirit of Cricket. The major responsibility for ensuring fair play rests with the captains, but extends to all players, match officials and, especially in junior cricket, teachers, coaches and parents."

The foundation of the Cricket Spirit is respect.

Respect the leadership of the umpires, your captain, your teammates, and your opponents.

Play assiduously and fairly.

Respect the umpire's judgment.

By acting in a positive way, you can influence others to do the same.

Maintain your composure even when everything are against you.

Celebrate your team's victories while congratulating the opposition's.

Whatever the outcome of the game, thank the referee and your opponent.

Cricket is a fun sport that shows leadership, friendship, and teamwork and unites people of many ethnicities, cultures, and religions, especially when played in accordance with the Cricket Spirit.

Australia now leads the five-game series 2-0 as a consequence of the outcome. The third match will be held in Headingley, Leeds, and it will start on Thursday.

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