"The ludicrous cries about Alex Carey being a cheat from English crowd was despicable" - Ian Chappell on Jonny Bairstow's controversial dismissal

Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey's dismissal of Jonny Bairstow at Lord's in the second Test has been the talking point of the Ashes 2023. Carey stumped out his English counterpart when he wandered outside the crease after ducking a Cameron Green short ball in England's 371-run chase on Day 5.

The controversial dismissal sparked vociferous reactions from England supporters, including some of the MCC members targeting the Australian team at the Lord's Long Room.

Reacting to the England crowd's booing of Alex Carey at Headingley, former Australia player Ian Chappell called the behavior ludicrous. In his latest column for ESPNcricinfo, the 79-year-old said:

"Bairstow was out and his thoughtlessness was the result of an abject failure to respect his wicket. What Alex Carey did was simply smart cricket; there was no deviousness involved and the crowd reaction was despicable, including ludicrous cries about Carey being a cheat."

He further mentioned:

"If Bairstow was trying to highlight the way etiquette has been ignored (a batter should be ready to face up when the bowler is in position to begin his run) his thought process was commendable but his method was totally wrong."

"Administrators are negligent for not backing umpires" - Ian Chappell

Ian Chappell called out the laxity of umpires and administrators of the game for not backing the rules. The former Australian cricketer believes that the controversial laws need to be precise in the public domain to avoid personal attacks on players for simply following the rules.

Chappell said:

"Umpires have been lax in not enforcing this unwritten rule when it comes to batters wandering out of their crease, and the administrators are negligent for not backing umpires to the hilt."

He added:

"That has served to further expose the administrators' inaction. They haven't had the guts to explain some of the more controversial laws. Consequently the players undeservedly hear despicable chants of "Cheat!" from an ill-informed public."

Australia currently lead the 2023 Ashes by a 2-1 margin. The tourists will have their opportunity to win their first Ashes urn in England in the fourth Test that gets underway at Emirates Old Trafford stadium in Manchester on July 19.