The Aussies just can’t help it….today in a compelling test at Lords, they pull a controversial run out. Bairstow was run out by the keeper when he was clearly going to check the pitch or talk to his partner. Presented with the technical question Marais had to give him out.

To me this is covered in the same spirit as over backing up….technically out but it’s not enforced unless it’s chronic. Worse really because there was clearly no attempt to score runs.

Following that Broad was subjected to a dangerous head hunting episode by Australia’s fast bowlers, especially the captain and hit sickeningly several times.

It takes a lot for the long room at Lords to boo a visiting team, but the Aussies were boo’ed and members of the team got into disputes with patrons who were clearly livid, but behaved poorly.

Following the disgraceful ball tampering episode just a few years back one would have thought some effort to curb the ugly Aussie culture would have taken place. But the Aussies couldn’t have been more gleeful if Cummins had got a hat trick…the sneakiness of it all was just fine with them….better even.

Backing up runouts are still understandable, the batsman's seeking an advantage whereas the Pom here gave a cursory tap with his bat before leaving his crease ......... zero advantage.

The Poms are a bunch of complainers.

I am thrilled that the Aussies are two tests up with three to go.

The Aussie ladies also beat the England ladies this past week.

Well done Aussies keep up the pressure and the English sides will fold.

The BBC commentators (English) are the most biased commentators on these Ashes tests that I have witnessed since I started following the Ashes series many years ago.

mozart the England bowlers started the short delivers in the Aussies turn at the crease and no one mentioned a word about that then.

Tit for Tat.

Much like Lewis Hamilton suggesting that the Red Bulls F1 cars are dominating the F1 series and that something should be done about it.

But he was more than happy when his team was dominating the F1 races for about eight years and never ever suggested that something needed to be done then.

So why now??????????

Loser.........

Difficult one...

The rules are there, and they need to be consistently applied to all teams, but this did leave a real sour taste afterwards....

However, Carey had noticed that Bairstow was apparently always leaving his crease and acted on that.... which, whilst clearly within the rules and laws of the game.... went against the spirit of the game in my opinion..

Problem is... you cannot im plement these rules and laws only based on merit cases, because it would cause a free for all, with so many different outcomes.... so Carey was not wrong......but yeah.... it was a real shitty way to win the game.

Why is it that it is normally the Aussies involved when something like this occurs...

Carey should have warned him….that’s the normal etiquette for backing up. Part of the bad taste was the hee-haw glee of the Aussies after it happened. Nothing they love better than cheating it seems.

"Part of the bad taste was the hee-haw glee of the Aussies after it happened"

Yeah, I have to agree, and even afterwards when discussing it with the media

Given how many times these kind of ugly issues or unsportsmanlike incidents have happened... more often than not with Aussie players... it really does seem that it clearly is a part of their culture

No surprise there.

Foster drinking sheep shagging ex-convicts, but per capita undoubtedly one the best sports nations

I see nothing wrong with the stumping...JB was reckless...you don't give an opponent such an easy chance in such a high stake match, with the match on a knife edge. STUPID!!! Only got himself to blame...and the stumping definitely did not merit the booing and confrontation of the Aussie players by the MCC members...much worse sportsmanship than displayed by the stumping.

"Part of the bad taste was the hee-haw glee of the Aussies after it happened."

Just as bad as the booing Poms.

Carey could have warned Bairstow, or Cummins could have withdrawn the appeal...

Within the law, the Aussies were 100% correct to stump Bairstow, and to a certain degree I don't blame them, given the stakes.

However.... purely bec ause of the pressure and scrutiny that the Aussie cricket team has been under over the last few years, and their past history of unsportsmanlike behaviour or actions....I just think that they really could have done with a moment like this, where they showed a bit more sportsmanship towards their opponent on the field.... 

I don't blame them, but I also don't think that they even tried to enhance their already battered and tainted sportsmanship reputation

The England player concerned is an experienced player with many games in top tier cricket and knows the rules or should have plus a case could be made that he has a habit of pushing the envelope when at bat.

The rules are clear and he was in the wrong as ruled by the umpires.

Now I know all you anti Aussies will cry it was not sporting of the wicketkeeper to run him out but was it sporting to transgress the rules as the english player did and has done in each game this ashes series.

Get over it as the Aussies did not cry foul when the english bowlers kept up the barrage of short deliveries.

Rules are set to be followed as in this incident that you folks are so concerned about.

Cry me a river you Pom biased supporters.

"..I just think that they really could have done with a moment like this, where they showed a bit more sportsmanship towards their opponent on the field.... "

This is a professional sport. They get paid to play and to win by extention...it's their job to use every single bit to their advantage to win...it was unprofessional of Bairstow to be so cavalier with his approach...he got what he deserved and will never make that mistake again...if one wants to see sportsmanship such of the armateur era, one has to watch lower tier cricket...or schoolboy stuff...there's no place for mulligans in pro sports.

DbD a brillant posting for all the Pom supporters to digest.

Like a professional boxer warning his opponent by telling him that he is leaving himself exposed to both a right hood as well as an uppercut.

Pure BS story about warning the player that he could be run out if he persists.

Get a life you Pommies.

This is sport and rules govern the game and their are no "Maybe" rules plus professional sport is played to win fairly within the set of rules.

I am sure that if it was an Aussie who was run out under these circumstances the Pommie croud who have been elated beyond belief.

Strange what biased support and beer can do to some folks.

There wouldn’t have been an Aussie run out under the circumstances…the Poms wouldn’t have stooped to that dismissal. The player was NOT trying to take advantage, he was meandering up the pitch thinking the play was dead. Here’s the rule:

The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler's end umpire that the fielding side and both batsmen at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.

The batsmen clearly had ceased to regard it as in play.

Dislike for the Poms is no reason to celebrate the poor sportsmanship of the convicts.

As for the ‘pure bs about warning a player he could be run out if he persists’ that’s standard practice for backing up infractions. Did you ever play the game?

"The batsmen clearly had ceased to regard it as in play."...yes, a total brainfart...

"that the fielding side and both batsmen at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play."

Absolutely  stupendous carelessness from Bairstow...he deserved that...he should have known the Convicts would exploit such foolishness. 

mozart sorry to offend your english heritage.

But the rules are clear as the umpires consulted and concluded on this issue.

Yes I did play cricket but never reached the international standard that you obviously played in for reasons other than skill.

Hugh Tayfield was my school coach as I was also a spin bowler and a batsman.

Was fortunate to have played with Richards, Irvine, Gamsy and a few other top players and also had the privilige of bowling to Pollock, 

But hey none of these players ever made it to your level of cricket.

Both military service and business cut short my sporting activities.

As DbD stated this is the time of PROFESSIONAL SPORT and no quarter is asked for or given.

Just simple cricket but granted noone honestly accepts defeat gracefully especially the English they fall apart.

Remember the last rugby WC sure was a glowing example of their sportsmanship after getting overrun by the Springboks.

But I think DbD captured this moment correctlyby stating he must have had a "Brainfart".

Perfect.

blobbok still sore about not making the grade to live in Australia I see.

Shame.

If a player is out because he backed up too soon, he has to be given out if the bowler takes off the bails. The point is players don't do that without a warning. 

I see the Aussie supporters have come up with an instance where Bairstow supposedly tried to run out Labuschagne. But the two situations were quite different Labuschagne was out of his crease, it was much more like a conventional stumping attempt.

The simple fact is Bairstow was doing something assuming the ball was dead. He wasn’t trying to get an advantage. No team should want to win that way….but the cheating Aussies do.

Back to the ball tampering incident, I’m convinced everybody in the Aussie team and certainly all the bowlers knew the ball had been tampered with….and I’m also convinced that wasn’t the first time. Nor do I think they were the slightest bit sorry…only sorry they were caught.

Well the BBC site has a interesting comment that was made by three of the most honest and great English batsmen playing in this ashes series.

All three confirmed than they would not walk if they snicked the ball during the series when caught.

That my friends is what professional sport has turned into.

Sportsman to a degree.........

What a turn around from the England team after the first two losses.

In the present (4th) test the England side has really taken it to the Aussies big time.

This could perhaps be the biggest loss that the Aussies have suffered in the Ashes history?

Woakes and Wood have had a tremendous impact with the ball plus the loss of the Aussies spinner after the second test has also resulted in a much weakened Aussie bowling attack.

But in cricket that's how the ball rolls.

Rain, rain and more rain is the only hope for Oz to draw this test.

Tough loss for the England team but a lucky draw for the Aussies.

What a way to retain the Ashes.

Many a Pom is disapointed but rules are rules and rain is always an issue for cricket in the UK.

2nd day of the 5th test is quite interesting.

Yes, the 4th day is going to be a major challange for the Aussies to get the runs to win this test.

But if Warner and company take their time and get a decent start that will provide a platform for the guys like Smith, Lappies and a few others to take it to the Poms.

No rush for the aussies as they have already settled the Ashes result by 2 to 1 with one draw so they can take their time.

I mean they have all the time in the world to get the total to win but they just have to concentrate and punish the bad balls.

Hoping that they can pull it off.

That's a big ask...Graeme Smith and his lads did something similar once...

All good thus far at lunch.

But still a long way to go to win this one for the Aussies.

Well some will call it justice as both teams lost a test due to weather conditions.

But I did enjoy the tests even though I had to tune in at 3.0am to watch live.

Wood and Woakes provided England with some awesome bowling performances and wickets and what a pity that Australia lost their star spinner in the series.

The result could have been better for the Aussies with him being able to play.

But some great bowling and batting allround.

Bravo, karma after s.s.f.d.e.c. skulduggery

Bit of a issue has surfaced on the issue of the replacement ball that was selected by the umpires after a batsmans helmet (Khawaja) was struck by a delivery.

According to BBC the issue has been raised about the replacement ball appearing 15 overs old and not near as used to the old ball (37 overs) that was being replaced.

Oops.

A crooked kookaburra