Aakash Chopra, former India opener, has slammed the England cricket fraternity for their hypocrisy over the Jonny Bairstow dismissal as he reacted to a fan sharing video of New Zealand’s Henry Nicholl’s dismissal last year against England.
There was a loud outcry of injustice from English fans after Australia wicket-keeper Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow on the final day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s. Even the captain of England, Ben Stokes, and the head coach, Brendon McCullum, opined that what transpired went against the “spirit of the game.”
On the other hand, Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia, was eager to point out that Bairstow had previously attempted to dismiss others in a similar way.
Australian players were called cheaters by crowd at Lord’s and by MCC members in the Lord’s Long Room as the visitors made their way to the dressing room at the iconic cricket stadium.
England Cricket’s Sense Of Entitlement Is Something Else: Aakash Chopra
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has jumped on the bandwagon as many fans upload video proof of instances where English players themselves inflicted questionable dismissals. In response to a video from 2022, Chopra emphasized how England had failed to improve the “spirit of the game” on their own.
On Tuesday, a fan shared the video of a Jack Leach delivery where the England spinner got New Zealand’s Henry Nicholls caught after his shot hit the bat of non-striker Daryl Mitchell.
Further sharing the video, Chopra wrote if England truly wanted to withhold the spirit of the game, they would’ve withdrawn the appeal in Leach’s case.
He tweeted: “Ouch. You can even see the torchbearer of ‘The Spirit of the Game’ shrugging his shoulders instead of initiating the process to withdraw the appeal. After all, you wouldn’t want to be remembered for things like these.
Also, there are multiple videos circulating calling out their hypocrisy…including some involving the current players. English cricket’s hypocrisy and the sense of entitlement is something else.”
Ouch. You can even see the torchbearer of ‘The Spirit of the Game’ shrugging his shoulders instead of initiating the process to withdraw the appeal. After all, you wouldn’t want to be remembered for things like these ???
Also, there are multiple videos circulating calling out… https://t.co/yR8Nq2UeVd— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) July 4, 2023