"I've seen that type of dismissal at least 20 times, and it is always out" - Cummins yet again defends Jonny Bairstow's run-out in Lord's Ashes Test

Australia's Test skipper Pat Cummins has opened up about the controversial Lord's Test during the 2023 Ashes series in England. The Aussies etched a memorable 43-run win in the contest that was rife with incidents, setting the template for the remainder of the five-match affair.

England were handed a 371-run target in the fourth innings, and a crucial talking point in the game came in the form of Jonny Bairstow's dismissal. The English wicketkeeper had ventured out of the crease before the ball was dead, leading to his Australian counterpart Alex Carey effecting a run-out from behind the stumps. The unorthodox dismissal left the crowd fuming at Lord's.

The aftermath of the dismissal was not pretty either. Usman Khawaja was confronted by a few members in the iconic Long Room at Lord's, leading to a spat during the Lunch break.

Cummins spoke about the incident and defended the dismissal just like he had after the end of the contest. He said on Channel Seven's Sunrise:

"I haven't experienced anything like that before.... but I will say across my career, I've seen that type of dismissal at least 20 times ... and it is always out."

On the Long Room incident, Cummins stated;

Davey [Warner] and Ussie [Khawaja] went back at a few of the members following some comments, it was getting pretty heated. I got the gossip from the other guys, then we all took a deep breath and looked to stay composed. We had a break, and then re-set."

Australia were subject to a brute display by Ben Stokes after the break. The England skipper scored a stunning 155-run knock, but could not help his team cross the line.

---

"I think the great thing was how many people were speaking about cricket" - Pat Cummins on the aftermath of the Lord's Test

The backlash was strong by the England team, fans, as well as the media. England head coach Brendon McCullum had also famously said that it would be a while before the team hangs out with the visitors, but he went on to retract the statement.

Australia, on the other hand, stood their ground amid the 'Spirit of Cricket' debate. Cummins had defended Carey since the first day, with the Aussie wicketkeeper receiving hostile reactions from the crowd over the course of the remainder of the series.

Opining that the incident flared up the Ashes and expressing his delight at such a change, Cummins said:

"I think the great thing was how many people were speaking about cricket ... it was the middle of winter [in Australia] and cricket was the main sport for a couple of months. So personally, I loved how much people were focusing on Test cricket and loving the contest each day. And also the old [sporting] rivalry between us and them....every Ashes series seems to drop something."

The win at Lord's gave Australia a 2-0 lead in the Ashes series. They were on the cusp of winning a Test series in England for the first time since 2001 but were outplayed by the hosts in the latter half of the series.

England went on to win the third and fifth Tests, while rain saved Australia from an inevitable defeat in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester.

Cummins stated that he is proud of the team's efforts during a challenging tour.

"Our aim was to retain the Ashes which we did, but even now I look back and some moments which if they went our way... could have seen a series win as opposed to a draw. We also retained the urn over there in 2019, so I am very proud of what we have achieved, winning away from home is tough," the skipper said.

Cummins sustained a wrist fracture in the series finale at The Oval and will miss the team's upcoming tour of South Africa.