"I didn't think he had to withdraw the appeal, that's for sure" - Ricky Ponting feels Bairstow's dismissal was a test for Cummins as captain 

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has commented on the controversial Jonny Bairstow dismissal that grabbed the spotlight during the eventful final day of the Lord's Test.

Ponting firmly believes that Australia were in the right during the proceedings and they were in no way liable to withdraw the appeal as part of the 'Spirit of Cricket' narrative.

Bairstow's stint at the crease came to a premature end when Aussie wicketkeeper Alex Carey executed a 'stumping' off Cameron Green's bowling. Bairstow wandered out of the crease with the ball still in play and was adjudged out by the third umpire following an appeal by the visitors.

Admitting that Australian skipper Pat Cummins made the right call by not withdrawing the appeal, Ponting said in an interview with Nasser Hussain for the Daily Mail:

"I just thought it would be a test for Pat. I didn't think he had to withdraw the appeal, that's for sure. Jonny did the wrong thing and he's paid for it by losing his wicket in an Ashes Test. It's as simple as that."

Bairstow's dismissal turned out to be a turning point as Australia went on to win the Test by 43 runs in the end. Ben Stokes was left stranded as the last recognized batter but did not depart without putting up a fight for the ages.

The England skipper led the charge single-handedly, scoring a scintillating century, before being dismissed with the team still 70 runs away from the target.

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"We were all a bit surprised at how Australia started tactically at Edgbaston" - Ricky Ponting

Australia currently enjoy a 2-0 lead in the five-match series and a clear shot at history, but it was not smooth sailing for them initially, especially after getting the first taste of Bazball in the opening Test.

England scored 393-8 in just 78 overs on the opening day, with Australia's approach coming under criticism after being up against aggressive batting.

Sharing his thoughts on how Australia have dealt with Bazball in the series so far, Ponting said:

"I knew Australia would come here well-prepared for what England have been doing. We were all a bit surprised at how Australia started tactically at Edgbaston but they won so it's hard to be critical."

He continued:

"It's an England attack that needs time to take wickets, we've seen that in these first two Tests. I was more concerned with how the England batting would cope with the skill and experience of the Australian bowling."

Australia have an opportunity to retain the Ashes and win their first Test series in England since 2001 in the third Test at Headingley, Leeds, which gets underway on Thursday, July 6.