Down 2-0 England will hope to put the controversy behind them as they find themselves in a must-win scenario against the Aussies.
On the brink of losing the Ashes yet again, Joe Root asks of people to move on ahead with the third test in Headingley in mind.
Amidst concerns of a negative crowd reaction due to the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow at the Lord’s Test, former English captain Joe Root appealed to the spectators at Headingley to remain calm.
Bairstow walked off his crease after dodging a Cameron Green bouncer assuming that the ball was declared dead. But Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey had a go at the stumps, leading to the England batter’s dismissal on the final day of the Lord’s Test which the Aussies won by 43 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
The incident led to an ugly altercation between members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and Australian players, Usman Khawaja and David Warner at the Lord’s Long room when the teams went for lunch.
Ahead of the Headingley Test, Root asked the supporter not to cross their limits.
“Support England. I think that’s the most important thing, that you come in to support your nation, doesn’t need to go beyond that. It shouldn’t ever go beyond that. Everyone should be here to enjoy the cricket on the field. And that’s what it should be about and shouldn’t be about anything other than that,” Root was quoted by The Age as saying.
Root shared his thoughts on the dismissal and agreed on what Ben Stokes had spoken, he also mentioned on the brand of cricket the team wants to play and the legacy they want to leave behind.
“There is always something like this in these big series and this one would have to involve Jonny,” Root added.
“Jonny was not trying to gain an advantage. It wasn’t like he was at the non-striker’s end trying to sneak a run or batting out of his crease to take modes of dismissal out of the game. So yes he felt hard done by. And I don’t think anyone will be leaving their crease here,” he said.
England are under massive pressure as they are trailing behind 2-0 and will look to secure their first win in Headingley keeping last year’s test in mind.