"He said, ‘Bloody oath I would’, and ran off" - Travis Head says Jonny Bairstow almost stumped him after an over in 1st Ashes 2023 Test

Australian batter Travis Head has revealed that Jonny Bairstow almost stumped him when he was walking out after an over in the first Test of Ashes 2023. He said the English wicketkeeper was proud of it too, and even said "Bloody oath I would" when Head confirmed if he'd have stumped him.

Bairstow was apparently furious when Alex Carey stumped him on the fifth day of the second Test. The right-handed batter had ducked to the last ball of Cameron Green's over, tapped his bat at the crease, and walked to chat with his partner. Carey's direct hit meant he was out for 10 and Australia eventually won by 43 runs.

“Jonny wasn’t too pleased," Head said on LiSTNR’s Willow Talk podcast. "And I sort of reminded Jonny last week I walked out of my crease at the end of an over. I quickly whipped my bat back and questioned Jonny on whether he would take the stumps and he said, ‘Bloody oath I would’, and ran off."

Head cited the example of a 2017 Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and New South Wales and said this is not the first stumping of its kind.

“We’d seen (Bairstow) try to do it and I’ve seen it happen a few times," he said. "Remember Tommy Cooper getting done at the SCG. ‘Nevs’ (Peter Nevill) threw the stumps down on him. If you put on the England hat, they’re disappointed. But the Australia (side), to the letter of the law, which was explained with Mitchell Starc’s catch the day before that it would be out..."

England coach Bredon McCullum blamed the incident for his team's loss and a straining of the two teams' relationship. Australian media, on the other hand, have labeled Bairstow a "hypocrite" by piling on old videos of him attempting similar dismissals or ones which fall in the grey area of the ambiguous 'Spirit of Cricket.'

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"He seems to forget our fans are pretty loyal" - Travis Head to Stuart Broad

Reacting to Stuart Broad's comments that Australia captain Pat Cummins will regret his decision, Head stated the fans at home are happy with their style of play.

“(Stuart Broad’s) comments that the whole of Australia would wake up and Pat wouldn’t be captain… He seems to forget our fans are pretty loyal and pretty happy with the way the Australians are going about things,” he said.

The third Ashes Test will begin on Thursday, July 6, in Leeds.