Ben Stokes questions Australia’s ‘spirit of the game’ after Bairstow controversy

Stokes: ‘Would I want to win a game in that manner? No’Three MCC members suspended following behaviour at lunch

A fresh chapter was written in an Ashes history already rippled with controversy and rancour as Australia won the second Test at Lord’s and took a 2-0 lead in the series, but the perception that they had trampled over the treasured spirit of the game to get there led to fury in the crowd and, more remarkably, among the usually mild‑mannered MCC members.

England fell 44 runs short of their target of 371 despite an innings for the ages from Ben Stokes, who scored nine sixes on his way to 155. But what Stokes considered “the match‑winning moment” came when he was not even halfway to that total, with the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow.

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