Boos rang out at Lord's as Jonny Bairstow's controversial run-out paved the way for another agonising defeat for England against Australia.
England were 193 for five when he ducked under a bouncer from Cameron Green, tapped the crease and began to walk down to prod the pitch.
Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey sent an under-arm throw in after catching the ball, leaping for joy as he hit the stumps. There was confusion in the middle, Bairstow believing that the ball was no longer live but eager to pursue the appeal.
The umpires sent the decision upstairs for review by TV umpire Marais Erasmus, who had no option but to confirm Bairstow’s dismissal for 10.
A 32,000 crowd, who had snapped up day five tickets at £25, erupted in boos, jeers and repeated choruses of “same old Aussies, always cheating”.
Things even turned nasty in the Long Room, where Marylebone Cricket Club members exchanged heated words with the Australians as they walked off at lunch.
An apology followed from the MCC, but Cricket Australia requested an investigation into the incident.
England’s annoyance at the Bairstow wicket was told through the actions of Stuart Broad, who made his feelings quite clear as he arrived to join Stokes in the middle.
He was overheard on the stump microphone telling Carey “you’ll always be remembered for that” and “literally the worst thing I’ve ever seen in cricket”.
The 37-year-old, a longstanding Ashes antagonist, repeatedly made an exaggerated performance of grounding his bat at the end of the overs and asked on several occasions for confirmation that the ball was dead.
Bairstow’s exit – stumps thrown down when he appeared to think the ball was dead – awakened the kraken in Stokes, who took the matter personally and set off on a one-man revenge mission.
From that point onward he hit another 93 from 88 balls, including eight mighty sixes and five boundaries but when he eventually fell for a wonderful 155, England were unable to get over the line and Australia completed a 43-run victory.
Stokes questioned whether Australia had compromised the “spirit” of the game over the controversial dismissal of Bairstow,
He told Sky Sports: “I think there’s quite a lot of factors you’ve got to take into that. At the end of the day it’s out, (but) if the shoe was on the other foot I’d probably just have a little think about the spirit of the game. It’s happened and we’ve just got to move on with what’s in front of us.”
Australia skipper Cummins was unrepentant over the incident, insisting: “I think Carey saw it happening a few balls previously.
“There’s no pause, you catch it and have a throw. I thought it was totally fair play. That’s how the rule is – I know some people might disagree a lot.”
Former England captains Andrew Strauss and Eoin Morgan, working as post-match analysts for Sky, agreed with Cummins’ opinion.
Strauss said he was “pretty comfortable with what Australia did there”, while Morgan added: “I don’t see it compromising the spirit of the game. He (Bairstow) was just being naive, it was almost like he was batting in his own bubble.”
