Australia will repeat Jonny Bairstow's dismissal if situation arises, claims Pat Cummins

Australia captain Pat Cummins has claimed his side would not hesitate to repeat the controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow if the situation arises in the third Ashes Test.

While Bairstow's dismissal was technically correct, it drew massive criticism for Australia for allegedly playing against the spirit of the game. However, Cummins has said he has no regrets about the way the visitors dismissed Bairstow on the final day of the second Test at Lord's.

Australia will not hesitate to repeat Bairstow's dismissal

In a pre-match conference, when reporters asked Cummins if he would do the same again this series, the fast bowler replied, "Yep. At the moment I'm really comfortable with it."

"I think there are issues that come up in every Ashes series where you have the same opinions, English fans think one thing, Australian fans think the opposite. I think the way our team has conducted themselves over the last couple of years has been flawless really. We've been fantastic and I think that showed again on day five at Lord's," added Cummins, whose side is 2-0 up in the five-match series.

From Trevor Chappell's underarm incident to deny New Zealand an ODI victory or the use of sandpaper to change the ball, all these incidents just pointed out how Australia puts winning above anything else. Speaking further about the incident involving Bairstow, Cummins stood by his belief that his side did "nothing wrong."

"I mean, there's been talk this week about the underarm incident. I think it was in the 1970s. How far do you want to go back? We've all moved on. The team did nothing wrong so we're all comfortable," the Aussie captain said further.

Australia's attitude of being immensely competitive makes the team hard to beat, but Cummins also reckons the spirit of cricket is something he fully supports.

"I 100 per cent think it's a real thing. I think at times there's nuance to it, and everyone might see it a little bit differently. Which is fine, that's part of it.

"But absolutely I think it's one of the beauties of our sport, it's a gentleman's sport, you want to maintain respect for the opposition at all times, the umpires, the fans, the game, so I think it's one of the strengths of our game. And I think our players were outstanding in that regard," explained Cummins.

Ben Stokes' heroics at Headingley in 2019

The last time England and Australia faced off against each other at Headingley in 2019, Ben Stokes snatched the match with a one-wicket victory for the hosts. England, who were bowled out for 67 in the first innings, were set a target of 359, which would go on to be their highest-ever successful chase in Test cricket.

Stokes, who is now England's Test captain, had shared a match-winning partnership with tail-ender Jack Leach. The two players put up 73 runs for the final wicket as England clinched one of the most unlikely victories in the history of Test cricket. Stokes remained unbeaten on 135 off 219 deliveries, while Leach scored one not out off 17 balls.

Australia pacer Cummins, who had bowled the final delivery of the said game, said he has watched footage of the Leeds Test "about 1,000 times in the last four years."

"I've seen it about 1,000 times in the last four years. It was a fantastic Test match and I'm sure it will come up. But we've moved past that," said Cummins.

Meanwhile, Cummins also asked the host side to concentrate on their performances rather than invoking the spirit of the game ahead of the Headingley Test, which is due to go underway on Thursday.

It has also been reported that Yorkshire Cricket Club has tightened security to avoid any crowd trouble intended towards the Australian side. Bairstow hails from Yorkshire, the host county of the third Ashes Test.