THERE was an unmistakable comic undertone to Pat Cummins’s press conference at Headingley on Wednesday as the Australia captain was grilled on ‘stumping-gate’, a smile never far from his face, or at times spread across it from ear to ear.

“Pat, disappointed that your integrity has been called into question?” came the opening gambit.

“Doesn’t really bother me, to be honest,” replied Cummins, deadpan.

“I think the way our team has conducted themselves over the last couple of years has been flawless, really,” he expanded. “We’ve been fantastic, and I think that showed again on day five at Lord’s.”

All smiles: Pat Cummins has a laugh and joke with the media at Headingley. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images.

Alright then.

Next question.

“Pat, going back a while, but given the ‘Sandpaper-gate’ thing, a lot of people have raised the question, ‘was an opportunity missed by you to have done something positive by withdrawing the appeal (against Jonny Bairstow)?”

Cummins: “We’ve all moved on. As I said the other day, the team did nothing wrong, so we’re all comfortable.”

England batsman Jonny Bairstow speaks to the Australia fielders after being given out, stumped by Alex Carey after leaving his crease during the fifth day of the LV=Insurance Ashes Test Match at Lord's. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images.

A different track perhaps…

“Pat, is the spirit of cricket a real thing or a myth?”

Cummins: “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.”

Okey-dokey.

“Pat, was the spirit of cricket upheld at Lord’s?”

Cummins (smiling): “I think our players were outstanding.”

“Pat, why do you think that some people think so candidly that the spirit of cricket was ignored, and why do you think that your players were exemplary? Those are two quite diametrically opposite sides?”

Cummins (still smiling): “I think there’s issues that come up every Ashes series. English fans think one thing, Australian fans think the opposite. In terms of our players, I thought the way that they conducted themselves in the Long Room was fantastic. Even the Mitchell Starc decision (the disputed catch), the night before, the way our boys accepted the decision and moved on from it really quickly was really good.”

Fair enoughski.

Time for the million dollar question now, Mr C...

“Pat, would you do the same thing again if presented with the opportunity here?

Cummins: “Yep.”

“Pat (amid increasing good humour within the room on the fourth floor of the Seat Unique Pavilion), do you think that the England players’ reaction to what happened, and the fact that they thought you should have withdrawn the appeal, is a smokescreen for the fact they lost the match and are 2-0 down in the series?”

Cummins: “You’ll have to ask them.”

“Pat (the laughter rising), Brendon McCullum says that he thinks you might regret it as time goes on, just as he regretted a similar sort of incident in his career. Do you think he might have a case?”

Cummins: “You’ll have to ask me in the future.”

“You don’t think he might have a point, Brendon?”

'Stumping-gate' takes on vaguely humorous air at Headingley