Jonny Bairstow Dismissal Row: UK PM Rishi Sunak Says Australia's 'Action Wasn't In Spirit Of The Game'

The Jonny Bairstow dismissal controversy is growing by the day with even the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom now weighin in on the debate after the furore over the incident on Day 5 of the second Ashes Test between England and Australia.

UK PM Rishi Sunak reiterated Ben Stokes's stance on the incident which was one of the turning points of the Test match on Sunday.

“I think if the shoe was on the other foot, I would have thought about the spirit of the game. I would have withdrawn the appeal.

"For Australia, it was the match-winning moment. Would I want to win a game in that manner? The answer is no," Stokes said after the match.

PM Sunak backed the England captain, saying that he too wouldn't want to win a match like this.

"The PM agrees with Ben Stokes. He wouldn't want to win a game in the manner Australia did. Their action wasn't in the spirit of the game," the PM's spokesperson told The Guardian.

Asked specifically if he thought the Australians had contravened the spirit of cricket, the spokesperson said: “Yes.”

How Jonny Bairstow got out at Lord's

Bairstow was given out stumped after he ventured out of his crease after ducking a short delivery from Cameron Green which was collected by the wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

He affected a direct hit from behind the stumps after noticing Bairstow walking towards the middle of the pitch.

The ball hit the stumps and the Aussies went up in appeal, catching Bairstow completely by surprise.

The third umpire gave it Out after watching replays of the incident which occurred in the 52nd over of England's failed run chase of 371. The hosts lost the second Test by 43 runs to go down 0-2 in the five-match series.