Aussie cricket captain Pat Cummins weighs in on Ashes 'cheating' row after Lord's chaos

Aussie cricket captain Pat Cummins weighs in on Ashes 'cheating' row after Lord's chaos,Australia captain Pat Cummins had no regrets after the controversial Ashes dismissal of England's Jonny Bairstow, but Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum felt it went against the spirit of cricket

Aussie cricket captain Pat Cummins weighs in on Ashes ‘cheating’ row after Lord’s chaos

Under-fire Australia captain Pat Cummins has defended his conduct after being accused of cheating during the second Ashes Test.

Australia won a dramatic Lord’s Test by 43 runs to go 2-0 up in the series with three to play. But the main talking point was Jonny Bairstow’s controversial dismissal during the morning session. After Bairstow had ducked under a bouncer from Cameron Green, wicketkeeper Alex Carey threw the ball at the stumps just as the batter wandered out of his crease.

The Aussies appealed and after a review by the third umpire Bairstow was given out, making it 193-6 and delivering a massive blow to England's hopes of chasing down 371. A remarkable innings of 155 from captain Ben Stokes got England close but they eventually fell short, making the final three Tests must-win for the hosts.

The Bairstow dismissal triggered an angry reaction from the Lord’s crowd, with many booing the tourists and chanting ‘same old Aussies, always cheating’.

READ MORE: Aussie ‘cheats' confronted by posh Lord’s members in Long Room as tempers flare

That anger had not died down by the time a smirking Cummins was interviewed during the post-match presentation. He was booed before and during his interview with Mike Atherton. He suggested it was some kind of justice after the controversy of the previous evening when the Aussies were denied the wicket of Ben Duckett after Mitchell Starc was deemed to have grounded a catch.

Cummins was unrepentant and even suggested it was a deliberate tactic to remove Bairstow, having spotted the Yorkshireman’s habit of wandering out of his crease.

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Jonny Bairstow lost his wicket in controversial fashion

Lord's members had stern words with the Australians in the long room — Members had stern words with the Australians in the Lord's Long Room after Bairstow's dismissal (Image: Sky Sports)

"I think it's a rare dismissal,” Cummins later told the BBC. “There was nothing untoward or sneaky. Jonny was leaving his crease every ball. He did it four or five balls. You're meant to stay in your crease in cricket. Bairstow has tried it with a lot of our guys.”

Asked if he had any regrets, he replied: “No”

When told Stokes had suggested the decision not to withdraw the appeal had gone against the spirit of the game, Cummins merely replied: “OK.”

Ben Stokes suggested the Bairstow wicket went against the spirit of the game

On whether there was any bad blood between the teams, Cummins added: "Not from our team, you might have to ask them. It was a wonderful contest. It's been a great Ashes series so far.”

On the Bairstow incident, Stokes said: “There's lots of factors. I would ask the umpires whether they had called over. They made a move towards the end of the over. But at the end of the day, it is out.

“If the shoe was on the other foot, I would have had a think about the whole spirit of the game. But it has happened. It was out. We have to move on.”

England coach Brendon McCullum agreed with his captain, saying: "I think it was more about the spirit of the game and 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 and if you look at the small margins, it is incredibly disappointing.

Ben Stokes and Pat Cummins in discussion following Australia's 43-run victory at Lord's (Image: PA)

Pat Cummins was booed after the match (Image: Ashley Western/Colorsport/REX/Shutterstock)

"Lots of people will have their opinion on both sides of the fence. But the most disappointing thing is that it will be the most talked about event of a great Test match."

On relations between the teams, McCullum added: “I can’t imagine we’ll be having a beer any time soon.”