Broad suggested that Australia's senior players might have stepped forward to act on what he described in his Daily Mail column as "a bit of a random dismissal"
Stuart Broad says that he "would be amazed" if Australia captain Pat Cummins stands by his decision to uphold the appeal to dismiss Jonny Bairstow at Lord's on Sunday "once the emotion settles".
England bowler Broad, writing in his Daily Mail column, questioned whether one of Australia's senior players might have stepped forward, "especially given what their team has been through over recent years, with all their cultural change".
Bairstow's dismissal came when Alex Carey, standing back to the pace of Cameron Green, threw down the stumps from the final delivery of the 52nd over. Bairstow, having negotiated the delivery from within the crease, had subsequently left it to go and talk to his batting partner, Stokes, presuming the over had ended.
But the umpire, Ahsan Raza, had not called 'over' so the ball was not dead. The TV umpire, Marais Erasmus, therefore had little option but to judge Bairstow out, with Carey throwing the ball and celebrating immediately, having spotted Bairstow wandering out of his ground earlier in the over.
The result leaves Australia 2-0 in the series and England needing to win all three remaining games if they are to regain the Ashes, which has only been achieved once back in 1936/37.
While England captain Ben Stokes admitted the decision was correct according to the laws, he also suggested the "spirit of the game" would have convinced him to withdraw the appeal.
Bairstow was stumped by Alex Carey shortly before lunch on day five (Getty Images)
"What amazed me," added Broad, "and what I told the Australians I could not believe as we left the field at lunch, was that not one senior player among them - and I very much understand in the emotion of the game that the bowler and wicketkeeper would have thought 'that's out' - questioned what they had done.
"Not one of them said: 'Hang on, lads. I'm not really sure about this.' Not one of them thought: 'He's gaining no advantage. He's not trying to get a run. It's the end of the over. It's a bit of a random dismissal. We should cancel that appeal.'
"Ultimately, Pat Cummins is a really great guy and I would be amazed, once the emotion settles, if he does not sit back and think, 'I got that one wrong', even though his bottom line at the time was winning a Test match."
Of his own antics once replacing Bairstow at the crease, he added: "The red mist came over me, too, when I arrived at the crease to replace Jonny, and some of what I said was picked up on the stump mics - which naively, given my experience, I didn't really think about.
"I was angered by Australia's decision, particularly having heard their lines about creating a new legacy as a team, and how they have changed since the tour of South Africa in 2018. I just said to Pat on repeat: 'All these boos are for you, for your decision.' And: 'What a great opportunity you had to think clearly.'"
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