Steve Smith withdrew a run-out appeal in Australia’s match against Afghanistan on Friday, suggesting they now accept they were wrong to go through with the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s two years ago.
Smith, standing in as Australia captain for Pat Cummins, gestured to the umpires to withdraw the appeal against Afghanistan’s tail-ender Noor Ahmad in Australia’s last group game in the Champions Trophy.
Azmatullah Omarzai clipped a single to midwicket off the final ball of the 47th over and ran an easy single with Noor, who tapped his bat and then wandered out of his crease believing the officials had called over. The throw came in and wicket-keeper Josh Inglis whipped off the bails, with Noor out of his crease and clearly out. But Smith withdrew the appeal in an example of Australian sportsmanship missing in the Ashes Test two years ago.
Then Bairstow was stumped by Alex Carey when he walked out of his crease believing the officials had called over. It led to angry scenes at Lord’s with the Australian team booed and abused when they walked through the Long Room at lunch.
Cummins was captain that day and did not withdraw the appeal, a move that split opinion across the cricketing world. “The team did nothing wrong. So we’re all comfortable,” an unrepentant Cumins said.
The ninth wicket in the Afghanistan innings in a Champions Trophy lacks the pressure of a Lord’s Ashes Test and Smith, scarred by his involvement in the sandpaper scandal, was clearly keen to avoid more controversy.
Cummins later explained that he orchestrated the Bairstow stumping, but at the time much of the anger was directed towards Carey.
“I saw him do it a couple of balls in a row,” he said in The Test documentary. “Cam Green was bowling and bowled a bouncer and he ducked underneath it and then just walked out of his crease. So I just said to Kez [Carey] the ball before, I said :‘Kez, just have a throw.’”
