*Official* Second Test (Lord's, London) 28 June–2 July

[Athlai]

Baz getting the rich karma he deserves for the Murali run out.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Still can't believe the mountain that is being made out of a molehill over the Bairstow dismissal. He wandered out of his ground before the over was called by the umpire. The sort of thing you see in a village game not a test match. His own fault but probably meant we lost by 50 runs less than we would have as Stokes went nuts after.

 

[zaremba]

I shouldn't name call using the dinosaur term, that isn't fair. My bad.

My issue isn't the win at all costs. It's the fact that spirit of cricket is not a universally accepted term and it never will be. Countries are not raised the same and don't agree on this. So it'll always be an issue. And people's mentalities change. At 4-0 up, Cummins probably overturns that and plays the nice guy card. So I find it hard to live by a set of rules that it becomes different in different situations. Ben Stokes says he'd probably not uphold it. Brendon McCullum says that too, probably because he regrets running Murali out in Chch all those years ago. But how can we know, when push comes to shove, that they would? If it was 2 runs to get and the Ashes are to be won or lost, what a horrible situation to put someone in to have to decide based on spirit, when there is a large lawbook and three umpires appointed to handle that? Is there another sport in the world that governs on spirit? I don't know of one, certainly not to our extent.

Personal anecdote - I went to England as a 19 year old playing league cricket, obviously groomed on playing the way we do in NZ. I got absolutely torn to shreds for trying to backflick from short leg to run someone out who hadn't run but wasn't in their crease, because - VERY sternly - I was told 'we don't play cricket that way, it's not in the spirit of the game'. I'd literally never heard of the term, yet cricket was my life. That's my issue with spirit of cricket.

There’s a lot of rubbish spoken about the Spirit of Cricket. But let’s not pretend that if it’s within the Laws it’s automatically ok. Trevor Chappell’s underarm was within the Laws and it was sneaky and embarrassing. Which is the category Australia again chose to place themselves into today.

 

[Niall]

At an amateur level, 100%. The higher up you go, the less that exists. There's no place or relevance for it at the highest level. If you're in a major, and all of your shots are televised/on video, it doesn't exist - unless you're talking about walking on someone's line or some other type of gamesmanship. There doesn't need to be because there's laws and video evidence. Same for cricket. Does spirit of cricket need to exist in the amateur game? Maybe...but not when so much technology is available at Test level.

Europe’s Suzann Pettersen sorry for Solheim Cup ‘concession’ controversy

Suzann Petterson has said she is ‘sorry for the way I carried myself’ after the controversy which surrounded the Sunday fourballs at the Solheim Cup, which the USA won having trailed 10-6 before the singles

www.theguardian.com

Think their has been a few incidents on the ladies tour.

 

[Bahnz]

I wouldn't want to win in that manner - Stokes

England captain Ben Stokes says he would not want to win with such a contentious dismissal as Jonny Bairstow's in the second Ashes Test.

www.bbc.com

Asked if the incident will impact the relations between the teams, McCullum said: "I can't imagine we'll be having a beer with them any time soon.

"We have three Tests to land some blows and try to win the Ashes. That is where our focus will be."

Yep. He'll say he learned from those incidents...but again, he's trying to push his moral stance onto others and that's not his place.

McCullum I think alluded to the Murali/Mpofu incidents in that interview when he said something like "As you grow and mature as a cricketer you realise it's better to play a certain way" or something like that, and he has repeatedly said that he regrets those dismissals. Still funny though.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Baz getting the rich karma he deserves for the Murali run out.

Bro he had to read that apology speech his PR team wrote for him, hasn't he suffered enough.

 

[Athlai]

Can't wait for the apology for this one in 10 years

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

CumBall

 

[DriveClub]

I love it, anything to enrage the poms and the racist dinosaurs in the Lord's members stand. Loving the tears. And also f**k the spirit of cricket, the sooner it gets out of the game the better.

 

[zaremba]

I love it, anything to enrage the poms and the racist dinosaurs in the Lord's members stand. Loving the tears. And also f**k the spirit of cricket, the sooner it gets out of the game the better.

Pure class.

 

[Anthony Clayden]

On initial watch, I thought Starc catch had been grounded before fully in control of ball and himself and therefore correctly not out.

Stumping of Bairstow was fair play IMHO.

For those who think it was not out, how do you ever craft a rule that allows stumpings?
If a spinner was bowling, and the keeper was up, and if even momentarily the batsman drags his foot over the line, it is out.
Is every stumping or ping from short leg, against the spirit of the game??

 

[SteveNZ]

There’s a lot of rubbish spoken about the Spirit of Cricket. But let’s not pretend that if it’s within the Laws it’s automatically ok. Trevor Chappell’s underarm was within the Laws and it was sneaky and embarrassing. Which is the category Australia again chose to place themselves into today.

Fair enough, your opinion. The laws got changed based on that underarm and they should be based on today, too. Was it sneaky today? Honestly not sure. Given Bairstow was acting in good faith if not a bit naive/dopey and not trying to gain any advantage, maybe it is sneaky.

 

[DriveClub]

I see that Ian Bell is currently trending on Twitter. It’s in relation to the topic under discussion on here earlier today - Dhoni’s magnanimity in withdrawing the appeal for Bell to be run out.

That was dhonis stupidity not magnanimity. Still to this day I don't understand why dhoni withdrew the appeal. Just don't understand why these poms think they're some guardians of the game, definitely has to do with the fact that cricket is an elitist/posh/rich peoples game in England.

 

[Bahnz]

On initial watch, I thought Starc catch had been grounded before fully in control of ball and himself and therefore correctly not out.

Stumping of Bairstow was fair play IMHO.

For those who think it was not out, how do you ever craft a rule that allows stumpings?
If a spinner was bowling, and the keeper was up, and if even momentarily the batsman drags his foot over the line, it is out.
Is every stumping or ping from short leg, against the spirit of the game??

I don’t think anyone’s saying it’s not out, just feels like a bit of a **** way to get a batsman out.

 

[jcas0167]

Did BMac seriously say that after what he did to Mpofu and Murali??!!

Yeah, although the context is he said in his 2015 book and his 2016 MCC lecture that he regretted it. I'll have to pull the book out later but I think it was a kind of turning point for him and when he became captain he had changed his approach.

 

[SteveNZ]

Europe’s Suzann Pettersen sorry for Solheim Cup ‘concession’ controversy

Suzann Petterson has said she is ‘sorry for the way I carried myself’ after the controversy which surrounded the Sunday fourballs at the Solheim Cup, which the USA won having trailed 10-6 before the singles

www.theguardian.com

Think their has been a few incidents on the ladies tour.

That one is quite similar, actually. Good example. It was naive of the USA player to pick it up without hearing it was given, certainly something I was always aware of as a golfer - you'd always make sure. But if it was a tap-in, pretty **** of the Europeans to enforce it if it was clear they would give it and she couldn't miss it.

 

[SteveNZ]

Yeah, although the context is he said in his 2015 book and his 2016 MCC lecture that he regretted it. I'll have to pull the book out later but I think it was a kind of turning point for him and when he became captain he had changed his approach.

That's OK, and good on Baz for that. I'm a massive fan. But he's not the moral CEO of world cricket.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

I follow many sports, but I can't think of any that have much of a spirit of the game argument or certainly to the extent of cricket. Football with the simulating/diving crap, I get it. What others?

Baseball is the main culprit. The unwritten rules of the game are debated all the time and it's just as tedious as cricket.

Tennis and Golf also though they've faded as the sports have modernised.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Given Bairstow was acting in good faith if not a bit naive/dopey and not trying to gain any advantage, maybe it is sneaky.

I don't think the intent of the batter should have anything to do with how sneaky the play is.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Baseball is the main culprit. The unwritten rules of the game are debated all the time and it's just as tedious as cricket.

It's hilarious how going for a bunt in the 7th while a guy is perfect is the worst thing you can do.