2nd Ashes Test: The Sublime And The Ridiculous as Australia go 2-0 up

London: One of the best ways to keep Test cricket alive is a little bit of needle in a high-profile match. The Lord’s Test, the second of the Ashes 2023 series, was all set for an electric finish, one way or the other and while everyone should be applauding Ben Stokes’ batting, most of the headlines are about Jonny Bairstow being stumped and the subsequent noise that reverberated from every brick of the home of English cricket, not least the much-vaunted Lord’s Long Room. Quite an afternoon, when Test cricket saw the sublime and the ridiculous being showcased concurrently.

As for the rules, Bairstow was out, and that was that. But then, this is not the last time that the English cricket establishment will complain about anything that goes against them on the field, irrespective of whether it is in the rules or not.

The much-abused phrase ‘spirit of the game’ is thrown around every time and English player is dismissed in some slightly unusual manner. Be it being run-out at the non-striker’s end, or stumped at the batting side.

None of that comes up when the English are on the delivering side, as they frequently have been.

Also, the overflowing spirit in the Lord’s Long Room was the one spilling out of bottles, as was evident from the members’ reception of the Australian side after the game. This, from a band of members who claim to be the flag-bearers of cricket, in what they claim is the home of the sport.

As things stand, Stokes’ superlative effort that almost turned the tide was ruefully relegated to second spot as Bairstow’s frequent ill-judged walks outside the crease with the ball still live were spotted by the Australians and eventually he paid for it. That was quite an astute bit of cricket.

As things now stand, England are 0-2 down in the series which has been close but Australia were good when it mattered the most. As a neutral observer, it is great to look forward to the next match, with the battle lines well and truly drawn. Bring it on, and some challenges to the ‘spirit of the game’ will be welcome.