Let's give Bairstow a break

This is a shout out for an under-rated (at least here) cricketer whose test and limited overs record isn't magical but is nevertheless pretty good. I love all forms of cricket, will never be a test cricket snob and really enjoyed his quite amazing 108 from 48 balls yesterday. He came to the wicket with a titanic run rate-needed facing him and he did the business. People seem to have forgotten his 50s and 100s at test level, most scored at fast rates making test matches enjoyable, not the slow drawn out affairs which seem to be keeping younger fans away from a lot of the grounds nowadays. I am 47 and my favourite players have been the Petersons, the Flintoffs, Gilchrist, etc., people who go out there to hit the thing, not make a 200-ball century. I have played a lot of cricket (too old now sadly, other than my Sunday dabble) and i'd have given a lot to be able to play the game like Bairstow. Yes, he's overweight, but so many cricketers are these days and that is poor form, pardon the pun. No need for baggage when you're playing the best on the planet at any sport. I weigh the same 70 kgs i did when i left school at 18. Anyway guys, let's give the fella some respect.

yeah ...nah

Is that tedious tournament still running? Entertainment for goldfish …

embee wrote:yeah ...nah

Erm, sorry MD, but I concur with MB.

Bairstow lost all Aussies when he didn't come out after THAT run out and say "yeah, I farked up. Carey got me cold in a brain-fade" rather than the bullshit "if that's the way they want to win" palaver.

If he comes to Aus in the next Ashes, he will be constantly reminded.

It wasn’t a run out skully

Oops, THAT "Stumped".

He used to be Johnny B. Goode - but since The Incident he will forever be Johnny B. Crappe

I think he must have head-butted several too many people 'hello', and too firmly ... that, or he was dropped on his head as a baby. Or both.

This LINK outlines why 'Jonny' will forever be held in derision ...



Top comment from Marcus Harris though! A new respect ...

Any way you look at it, the Poms (team AND supporters) were out of line.

Erm, sorry MD, but I concur with MB.

Bairstow lost all Aussies when he didn't come out after THAT run out and say "yeah, I farked up. Carey got me cold in a brain-fade" rather than the bullshit "if that's the way they want to win" palaver.

If he comes to Aus in the next Ashes, he will be constantly reminded.[/quote]

With tin hat on.
Are you honestly saying that a dismissal like that is in the spirit of the game? He marked his ground with his foot rather than his bat, yes, but was clearly not trying to gain an advantage. If say, Smith was run out like that would you honestly say it was all fine and dandy?
I have always thought that sport has rules but there is a morally correct way of doing things also. I've seen players called back after being given out. That shows real sportsmanship. I've seen football sides let a player run through and score because of a terrible decision that gifted their side a goal. Etc. I once told a rubgy referee that the player he had sent off had mostly missed me and that the 'attack' was a complete accident anyway and got the player recalled. We had a beer together after the game even though we lost by 6 points that game and some said i cost my side the game.
Or is it just win at any cost now in sport, as i haven't played any for 20 years?

Bairstow is going to cop hell here. Dropstow and Captain Piggsy the violent thug . With luck … will feature on billboards as will the upper class twits at Lords.

horace wrote:Bairstow is going to cop hell here. Dropstow and Captain Piggsy the violent thug . With luck … will feature on billboards as will the upper class twits at Lords.

Is that really the way to talk about international cricketers? I thought we respected people these days more than when i was growing up?
I've heard people call Australians ''convicts'' and other equally nasty stuff but i ignored it as i did abuse against certain cricketers who for whatever reason are easy fodder for the abusers. English players and all other countries. Warney came in for a lot of abuse and i never ever went along with it as he was human and made mistakes.
That's a cheap and weak shot horace and is quite vulgar actually. Maybe i'm too nice to attack people like that, but in my view that is a pathetic outburst.
Learn some manners and respect mate.

Maddog wrote:
Are you honestly saying that a dismissal like that is in the spirit of the game? He marked his ground with his foot rather than his bat, yes, but was clearly not trying to gain an advantage. If say, Smith was run out like that …

Again, it wasn’t a run out. He was stumped.

a song for Jonny

The argument that Bairstow was not trying to gain advantage is moot. The game of cricket is about rules and laws*. He failed to follow one of the most basic of them - stay in your crease until the ball is dead.

All players stumped in the history of this game were not generally trying to gain advantage, they were simply outsmarted by the wicket keeper and bowler (as was the case with Bairstow).


* There is no law about spirit of the game.

Ive heard Carey talking on a podcast

The Ozzies noticed that whenever you bowled a bouncer at Jonny he would duck under it and then start strolling down the pitch

This what he did here

Aye. It’s not as though Carey held the ball for a while, waited for the batsman to move out of his crease, then stumped him. That would be a bit sh!t.