Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has come to the defense of his country’s Ashes cricket team following criticism from his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak. Sunak claimed that a dismissal during the second test went against the spirit of the game.
During the fifth day of the match, with England on 193-5 and attempting to chase a target of 371, Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey underarmed the ball at the stumps after batsman Jonny Bairstow left his crease at the end of an over.
This dismissal was met with loud and prolonged booing from the crowd at Lord’s, prompting the leaders of both countries to weigh in on the matter.
“I simply wouldn’t want to win a game in the manner Australia did,” said UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as reported by Reuters.
Sunak also stated that he fully agreed with Ben Stokes, who had described the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow as being against the “spirit of cricket.”
A spokesperson for the UK Prime Minister added, “The Prime Minister agrees with Ben Stokes. He said he simply wouldn’t want to win a game in the manner Australia did.”
In response to Sunak’s comments, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took to Twitter to reaffirm his support for the Australian team.
“I’m proud of our men’s and women’s cricket teams, who have both won their opening two #Ashes matches against England,” Albanese tweeted.
“Same old Aussies – always winning! Australia is right behind @ahealy77, @patcummins30 and their teams and look forward to welcoming them home victorious.”
England coach Brendon McCullum stated that the Australian cricket team, particularly Alex Carey, will regret the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow. England seamer Stuart Broad also told Carey that he will be forever remembered for this dismissal on day five.
Australian skipper Cummins told reporters before departing for the third test in Leeds that “there’s nothing like loud crowds that bring a team together.” He added that Carey has had another fantastic game and praised his performance behind the wickets.
“But these kinds of moments can really strengthen a side. We’ll look after him,” Cummins said.
Updated: 04 Jul 2023, 08:04 PM IST
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Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
