(Reuters) – Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey has said he would not hesitate to repeat his controversial stumping of England’s Jonny Bairstow should a similar opportunity arise in the final two tests of the ongoing Ashes series.
Carey sparked a ‘Spirit of Cricket’ row that drew in the prime ministers of both nations when he stumped Bairstow after the Englishman was punished for stepping out of his crease during the second test at Lord’s last month.
Australia went on to win by 43 runs and lead 2-1 going into the fourth match of the five-test series at Old Trafford, which begins on Wednesday.
“If there was an opportunity to get a stumping, yeah I would,” Carey said when asked if he would repeat a move that saw Australia’s players verbally abused in the pavilion at the end of the session.
“There’s been some nasty stuff been said but it is the Ashes. There was nasty stuff said before that as well.
“I feel really well supported, I think the whole group does. From Australia, I still think we’ve got lots of fans and from England I don’t think we’ve made any, but we probably didn’t lose any either.”
The incident prompted a public disagreement between Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his British counterpart Rishi Sunak and Carey felt it had been “a little bit surprising” how the matter had escalated.
“We were switched on to the fact that it was a bouncer plan and it felt like Jonny was pretty switched on to getting out of the way, he wasn’t playing any shots,” Carey said of the incident.
“When he ducked obviously his first movement was pretty much out of his crease so instinctively I grabbed the ball, threw the stumps down and the rest is history.
“He’s a fantastic player and a big wicket in that match with Ben (Stokes).
“Once the bail’s come off, it’s up to the third umpire to deem it out or not out, or the on-field umpires as well and it was given out.”
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Michael Perry)
