Recalling an incident in a match against India in 2022, Ruth said: Go back to Edgbaston last year. Someone said something to him – I think it was Virat Kohli – and it brought out the best in him. Let’s hope it happens again.

Kohli and Bairstow were involved in verbal battles. Bairstow was 13 minutes out of 60 when the verbal clash with Kohli occurred. He shifted gears and galloped toward his third consecutive hundred on 119-ball tests.

Something like this always happens in a big series like this, and Johnny should have been in this series, Ruth added.

Johnny wasn’t trying to get an advantage. It wasn’t like he was standing on the edge of the penalty box trying to skip or kick the ball out of his position to eliminate the possibility of a layup. So yeah, he felt offended. And I don’t think anybody’s going to leave their cage here, he said.

So we have to use all the fuel, but do it under control. That doesn’t mean don’t show any emotion, because that can turn on someone like Johnny. Everyone will handle it differently. But we shouldn’t get too carried away with it all, he added.

However, the Australian team defended the decision by claiming that Bairstow left his cage and the ball hit the stump before he could get back in.