"The Spirit of Cricket does not come into it" - Michael Atherton on Jonny Bairstow's controversial dismissal during Day 5 of Lord's Test 

Former England captain Michael Atherton feels that Jonny Bairstow's controversial dismissal reflects the "flabby" cricket played by the hosts over the course of the Lord's Test. The wicketkeeper-batter was caught leaving his crease while the ball was still in play, resulting in Alex Carey executing a direct hit from behind the stumps.

The unorthodox nature of dismissal has led to divided opinions among fans and pundits, with the 'Spirit of Cricket' being invoked on a repeated basis. The two captains also shared their thoughts surrounding Bairstow's dismissal at the end of the contest, which unsurprisingly, were contrasting in nature.

Stating that the 'Spirit of Cricket' has nothing to do with Bairstow's dismissal, Atherton wrote in his column for The Times:

"Cummins said the dismissal was a fair one and at no stage thought of revoking the appeal and calling back Bairstow. There was certainly no requirement for him to do so. The Spirit of Cricket does not come into it. It was a dozy bit of cricket from Bairstow to allow Carey the opportunity and reflected much of the flabby cricket played by England in this match."

The dismissal, unquestionably, played a huge role in the proceedings as Bairstow was the last recognized batter to provide company for skipper Ben Stokes at the other end.

The all-rounder had to take matters into his own hands by taking on the run chase single-handedly. He almost managed to pull it off, but his 155-run knock ended in vain as Australia prevailed by 43 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the series.

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"England failed to take advantage of the calf injury to Lyon" - Michael Atherton

Australia only had the services of four frontline seamers for the final innings at Lord's following Nathan Lyon's unfortunate injury while fielding. The off-spinner was seen walking with crutches but battled pain to bat at No.11 in the second innings.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins confirmed that Lyon will not partake in the remainder of the series, but the fact that England could not take any advantage of his absence across both innings will be revisited.

Stating that England even failed to make the most of the conditions on the opening day after winning the toss, Atherton mentioned:

"From winning a good toss, England had the better of the conditions and failed to take advantage of the calf injury to Lyon that will surely put him out of the rest of the series."

Elaborating on where England went wrong in the second Test, Atherton continued:

"Conceding 416 was too many on first innings and then declining from 188 for one to 325, in perfect batting conditions with Australia a man down, was where the match was lost. The Spirit of Cricket had nothing to do with England’s defeat."

England put on a relatively lethargic effort on the opening day of the Lord's Test after winning the toss in overcast conditions and opting to bowl. Australia scored at over four runs per over on Day 1, with two late wickets proving to be England's sole respite.

Was Jonny Bairstow dismissed by Alex Carey under fair circumstances? Let us know what you think.