On Tuesday, the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, responded in defense of his nation’s Ashes cricket team after the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom said that a dismissal that occurred during the second Test was against the spirit of the game.
During the fifth day of the tournament, Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey underarmed the ball at the stumps after England batsman Jonny Bairstow left his crease at the end of an over. At the time, England’s score was 193-5, and they were trying to reach an extremely difficult total of 371.
The decision resulted in prolonged and loud boos from the spectators at Lord’s on Sunday, and members of the MCC openly attacked Australian players in the typically quiet Long Room of the stadium.
Albanese said on Tuesday that Australia was supporting the squad who ended up winning. Albanese wrote on Twitter, “Same old Aussies – always winning,” which was a reference to a slogan yelled by English supporters following the verdict that ran “Same old Aussies – always cheating.” The song was repeated in response to Albanese’s tweet.
The statements made by Albanese came after his counterpart in the UK, Rishi Sunak, claimed that he “simply wouldn’t want to win a game in the manner Australia did,” according to a spokeswoman on Monday in comments that were carried by the BBC. Albanese’s comments came after Sunak’s comments.
According to reports from the BBC, a spokeswoman for Australia said “Yes” when asked if the country’s actions were in line with the spirit of cricket.
The name of the annual cricket competition that takes place between England and Australia, known as the Ashes, comes from a little urn that symbolizes the end of the English cricket era. This event dates back to 1882, when England suffered its first loss on home soil to their former penal colony, Australia.
After demonstrations by the environmental organization “Just Stop Oil” delayed the second match, the third Test will begin this week in Yorkshire, where event organizers have increased security in preparation for the match.
Concerns have also been raised over the manner in which spectators would act against Australian players in the aftermath of Bairstow’s dismissal.