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Watch: Ben Foakes’ stumping attempt of Jasprit Bumrah re-evoked the perennial debate between the Laws and Spirit of Cricket.
Defending 231 in the first Test of the five-match series, at Hyderabad, England claimed eight Indian wickets before five o’clock, the scheduled close of play, and their captain Ben Stokes claimed the extra half hour.
Two balls into “extra time”, debutant Tom Hartley had R Ashwin stumped with the score on 177, and No.11 Mohammed Siraj joined No.10 Jasprit Bumrah.
The pair added saw through some anxious moments to add 11 before Hartley bowled at Bumrah. The ball turned away and beat the outside edge as Bumrah attempted a bizarre stroke while almost getting down on his haunches.
In an attempt to get up from that position, Bumrah hopped and rotated in the air. Foakes, almost certainly in anticipation of something of the sort, had held the ball. Now, as Bumrah lifted both feet in the air, he took the bails off and appealed for a stumping, for the ball was not dead.
Bumrah survived, but Foakes’ act invoked memories of Alex Carey’s successful stumping of Jonny Bairstow that caused a stir during the 2023 Ashes.
Hartley and Foakes combined to complete the stumping that sealed the match, though that was of Siraj. England won the Test match by 28 runs. India have now lost two of their last three Test matches at home.
Watch Ben Foakes’ attempted stumping of Jasprit Bumrah:
A penny for Jonny Bairstow and Brendon McCullum’s thoughts on trying to win a game with this? #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/JaZW9B88eV
— Scott Bailey (@ScottBaileyAAP) January 28, 2024
For the record, Foakes shouldn't even be attempting to stump Bumrah like that. Absolute bullshit. England can't complain about Carey/Bairstow and then do that sort of thing.
— Tonk (@tonkerthomas) January 28, 2024
