It was plain and simple stumping: Cummins' blunt reply on Bairstow's dismissal

A couple of days after Australia recorded a 43-run win against England in the second Test at the Home of Cricket, cricketing pundits and fans across the globe are still discussing the controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow on the final day at Lord's. 

The right-handed batter ducked underneath a bouncer from Cameron Green on the final delivery of the over and walked out of his crease to have a chat with Ben Stokes. 

However, the ball was still in play, and Alex Carey was quick to hit the stumps and dismiss the wicket-keeper for a 22-ball 10 runs. 

"I don't think a conversation about the spirit of cricket even comes into a dismissal like that. It was plain and simple stumping," said Pat Cummins in the pre-match press conference ahead of the third Test. 

"For what I think is a pretty common non-event, it does seem like everyone has a pretty strong opinion about it. I don't think there's any discussion; it's out."

"If the shoe was on the other foot, I wouldn't be looking at the opposition. I'd probably be thinking about our own batter and would be thinking it's pretty silly."

"I know what our team does, and that's why we concentrate on ourselves. When we haven't been playing up to scratch, we look pretty deeply at what we are doing and try to make amends. We don't apportion blame to conditions or opposition or anything else going on," he further added. 

The dismissal led to the Australian players being booed throughout the day, and they also had some nasty comments coming their way as they entered the Long Room for lunch.

"I'm really proud of how our boys have conducted themselves on this tour, especially on that day five. I thought the way they maintained respect for the opposition, the umpires and the crowd, their dignity was first-class," Cummins lauded his team. 

With tempers flaring in the first two games, the third Test starting on Thursday, July 6, at Headingley, will once again test the Australian players, as the crowd will be hostile and support the home team. 

"I'm sure it'll be a pretty fiery week from the crowd. But again, we're on the field. I think in Australia, we're as guilty as anyone a lot of the time. So I think it's reality, to be honest."

"If you're going to play professional sport, unfortunately, that's one of the things you'll have to deal with. It's nothing new. I think you could talk about it till the cows come home, but I doubt it's going to make much of a difference," he concluded.