The Ashes 2023 saw high-quality action on the field which led to the series being drawn 2-2. As usual with Ashes series’, there was also a fair amount of controversy off the field. Perhaps the most controversial of these incidents was Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal on the final day of the Lord’s Test.

Bairstow had started to wander out of his crease following the last ball of the over from Cameron Green. Carey took the opportunity to throw down his stumps while Bairstow was out of his ground. While Bairstow had to walk off the field by the letter of the laws, the England players made their displeasure at Carey’s actions well known.

Ben Stokes said he “would not want to win in that manner” and Stuart Broad told Carey while he was batting that the incident would be “all he was ever remembered for”. McCullum himself said at the time that in light of the episode he didn’t think the two teams would be “having an beers” at the end of the series. Now that the series is over, McCullum has clarified his stance on the matter.

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Referring to some similar dismissals that he himself enacted during his playing days, and to Cummins’ decision not to withdraw the appeal, he said: “I think if you look back to after that Test match, I don’t necessarily think what I said was construed in the right way. What I was saying is, I’ve made mistakes in the past and you know, there’s times where you look back and you say, you know, maybe when you’re a little bit younger, you don’t quite understand some of those decisions you make.

“But I look back with regret on some of them and I’ve put my hand up to say that, and I guess that’s what I was challenging. But in the end, everyone’s entitled to do what they want. There’s no right or wrong in that and that’s the grey area around the Spirit of Cricket. I guess I know, with the benefit of time what I would have done in that situation. But they are more than entitled to do what they want.”