[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Dozy from Bairstow without doubt, but it wasn't a "game-playing" error in the sense of him trying to make a run or overbalancing after a stroke; he left the crease in good faith when both umpires had turned away (which suggests to me that whether or not they'd called over, even the men in white thought "the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard the ball as in play"). I'm no fan of Mankading without warning either, I think there's always a degree of trickery involved in it, but it's at least justifiable on the grounds that the batsman is trying to gain an advantage. Stuff like this, or that incident in the U19 World Cup a few years back when the batsman was given out handling the ball because he picked it up to throw it back to the bowler, is tinpot stuff. If there's no skill involved from bowler or fielders and no competitive action from the batsman, then it's a burgled wicket: embarrassing, devious and unearned.

I know we're still a way off players rolling around on the ground whenever an opponent touches them, but the way cricket is enthusiastically haring after modern football in other respects, I'd rather resist this stuff here and now.

[Lord Snooty]

If he'd missed the wickets and Bairstow n Stokes had run for a bye, would the umpires have allowed it?

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Within the letter of the law? Probably. And there'd be a stronger moral case for doing so on the basis that Carey's throw was an attempt to gain an advantage; i.e. if you're the one who's decided the ball's still live when everyone else thinks it's dead, you can't complain too much if it backfires and costs you. But a more accurate equivalent would be if Carey had thrown the ball to a fielder to polish, and Stokes & Bairstow decided to run at that point. And I can confirm I wouldn't be a fan of that either, albeit a run is of less magnitude than a wicket.

Come to think of it, there was a Women's BBL match a few years ago where the batting team needed two off the last ball to tie, they hit it into the infield and ran a single, and when the throw came back to the keeper she pouched it and sprinted off to celebrate with her teammates... whereupon the batters suddenly decided they weren't declining to take any more runs after all, and immediately pinched a second to get the tie. Same judgement applies: dozy from the player letting their guard down, but devious from the players taking advantage of the vagueness of the laws and the assumption of fair play to benefit.

[themaclad]

Bairstow tried the same trick on Marnus Labuschagne in this test so Jonny obviously has a short memory

[Devongone]

The issue no one seems to be facing is why Bairstow was so dozy. The answer is that Jim Maxwell was right. He is not a wicket keeper - certainly at Test level. He has hardly stumped in 18 months. He is physically incapable of assuming the correct positions. He is too meaty from the waist down. He is moderate standing up to the stumps. We lost the first test on his dropped catches and missed stumpings and the second on his dozy batting and 27 byes weren't much help either. You don't just wander blithely out of your crease in the I-Zingari League Division Seven.

Someone needs to take him aside and tell him he is potentially a world-class batsman, but as a stumper he'd struggle to get a place with Derbyshire!

If we bat fourth Bairstow will always do so mentally and physically tired if we let him keep. Foakes isn't marginally better - he's a whole world better, a different class entirely. If you miss a chance to get Steve Smith out you are lucky if it only costs one hundred runs. You wouldn't let Jack Grealish keep goal just because he likes doing it.

The other question to ask is if the umpire is handing the bowler his cap why hasn't he called OVER? The standard of umpiring looked lazy to me at least. The review process reduces the importance of umpires, if they then react by thinking we'll reach the right conclusion with or without them, cricket is in trouble.

Nevertheless had I been Aussie Captain I'd have had a word with Stokes and brought Bairstow back. If I'd have been England Captain I wouldn't have bowled bouncers at a man who was almost immobile. If I'd have been an England player I'd have helped Nathan Lyon off the pitch at the end of the innings. It's not a war. Sport should help us to behave properly. And as Lords Membership is hard to distinguish from a public school no doubt those three naughty members will be summoned to the long room for six of the best. No doubt like everything else it will be available on I-Player.

A whole afternoon of bowling short? Entertaining cricket? A motto for all batsmen - a bouncer can only get you out with YOUR help.

[Lord Snooty]

Phwoar! What a game that was.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Made bloody hard going of that chase! Wouldn't have been half so bad if so many players hadn't got out to daft wafts of the bat against harmless balls; I get that Duckett never leaves, but that doesn't mean the rest of them have to play silly buggers. But a good showing from Brook at a crucial stage (should have stuck around and finished the job too, but I suppose all's well that ends well), that might be the best I've seen Woakes play with the bat, and Woody has to be first name on the team sheet for Old Trafford.

Hope that gives us some momentum and puts the cat among the budgerigars in the away dressing room. They may be world champions, but they were only two up because we self-destructed in close matches at Edgbaston and Lord's, and 3-2 remains do-able if we get (and keep) our act together.

[theo_luddite]

See Devon's last line in regards to your daft wafts Ska'd. Kookaburra's I think rather than budgie smugglers. Oh. sorry, see what you mean now. I wouldn't want to see that view in the away dressing room either way to be honest. Or the home one either. Don't box me into a corner on this.

[Lord Snooty]

Can't believe they're not having a Headingley test next time. Which prick thought that was a good idea?

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Can't believe they're not having a Headingley test next time. Which prick thought that was a good idea?

Ah, there's a motto if ever I saw one.