A pair of Border cricket umpires, including one who's an Englishman, have had their say on the controversial dismissal which lit the fuse in the drama-charged second Ashes Test at Lord's.
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And their decision was unanimous. Jonny Bairstow "can tell his story walking".
Murray Border Cricket Umpires Association president Paul Johnson, who was born in Yorkshire, and fellow official Brendon Wood both believe the correct decision was reached when Bairstow walked out of his crease almost immediately after ducking the last ball of a Cameron Green over.
Alex Carey threw the ball back at the stumps and stumped the star England batter, prompting immediate fury from the Lord's crowd and home team.
"Is it unsportsmanlike? Well, it's in the rules, so how's it unsportsmanlike?," Mr Johnson, who umpired Sydney grade cricket for more than a decade, said.
"Bairstow should've been smarter. The game has been played within the rules, and unfortunately the rules can get in the way sometimes.
"I can see why England aren't happy but Australia haven't crossed the line, even if they have gone close."
![Brendon Wood (top right) and Paul Johnson (bottom right) have weighed in on the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow, which was the flashpoint in Australia's Lord's Test win. Brendon Wood (top right) and Paul Johnson (bottom right) have weighed in on the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow, which was the flashpoint in Australia's Lord's Test win.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/xtb7LvhUpWdRyX3MGXCxS3/0ac80833-ba76-4d28-92b7-6eff01155a06.jpg/r58_51_3206_1973_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mr Wood echoed those thoughts, saying he would have no problem making the same decision in a Cricket Albury-Wodonga match.
"I was watching and as soon as it happened, I said 'that's out'," he said.
"Not in the spirit of cricket? Nah, sorry. Tell your story walking, Jonny. That's out.
"Both the batters and the fielding side have to consider the ball dead for it to be dead and Carey was instant in throwing the ball.
"I was a wicketkeeper for a long time when I played. Carey was smart."
The pair of Border cricket umpires also believed the correct decision was made in not awarding a catch to Mitchell Starc late on day four, reasoning the paceman did not have control of his body when the ball touched the ground.
Mr Wood said while the final day fireworks, where the teams exchanged barbs on the field and the usually reserved Lord's crowd labelled the Australians cheats, made for compelling television, he would hate to see the drama filter down to local level.
"You don't want it to get to a level where it gives club cricketers permission to do the same thing," he said.
"We want to be able to recruit and retain umpires and anything that makes that harder obviously isn't ideal."
Mr Johnson, who was born in Yorkshire, has been on the Border for about five years after moving to Australia in 1969 as a six-year-old.
He said he had "learnt to sit on the fence during the Ashes". "I support England when they're playing anyone but Australia and I support Australia against anyone but England," he said.
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