Bairstow was stumped when he ducked a bouncer and immediately left his crease to meet England captain Ben Stokes in the middle. England say he believed the umpires called, ‘Over,’ meaning the ball was dead. Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey tossed down the stumps and Bairstow was given out for 10 after a brief review.
Bairstow was confused, initially, then obviously unhappy by the stumping. He left Stokes as the last recognised batter. England lost by 43 runs and went down 2-0 in the five-match series.
England's Jonny Bairstow walks off the field after losing his wicket. Photo / AP
Australia had to endure the crowd’s bitterness for the rest of the match, including accusations of cheating, and McCullum felt the visitors brought it upon themselves.
“It was more about the spirit of the game,” McCullum said. “When you become older and more mature you realise the game and the spirit of it is something you need to protect. You have to make decisions in the moment and they can have effects on games and people’s characters.
“By the letter of the law he is out. Jonny was not trying to take a run and the umpires had called ‘Over.’ It is one of those difficult ones to swallow. You look at the small margins, it is incredibly disappointing.”
McCullum and Stokes agreed Bairstow was out, technically, but Stokes says he would have backtracked on appealing for out.
“Do I want to win in that manner?” Stokes posed. “The answer for me is no.”
However, many fans on social media have pointed out several instances where McCullum had done a similar act during his career with the Black Caps.
In a 2006 clash between the Black Caps and Sri Lanka, McCullum ran out Muttiah Muralitharan who had stepped out of his crease to celebrate a century for Kumar Sangakkara.
In 2005, McCullum stumped Zimbabwe’s Chris Mpofu who also left his crease to celebrate a milestone, with Blessing Mahwire reaching 50.
England coach Brendon McCullum. Photo / Getty
In 2009, he made an identical move to Carey’s as he threw down the stumps after England’s Paul Collingwood left his crease. After initially being called out, Collingwood was recalled to the crease by then-New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.
Fans called out McCullum for his “short memory” and “hypocrisy” after his comments as England coach.
“Funny how things come full circle,” said one fan.
A friendly reminder to all England supporters - Brendon McCullum attempted to do the exact same thing to Paul Collingwood back in 2009.
McCullum with the short memory I guess. Jog on Brendan scarred as a player by the Aussies now scarred as a coach. 5-0 incoming. pic.twitter.com/m0wbEwwBGh
Australia captain Pat Cummins said Bairstow’s stumping “was totally fair play”.
“It’s a rare dismissal. There was nothing untoward or sneaky. Jonny was leaving his crease every ball. He did it for four or five balls. You’re meant to stay in your crease in cricket. Bairstow has tried it with a lot of our guys.”
Cummins said there was no ill-feeling from his side for England but McCullum thought it will impact their relations.
