Ben Stokes' Epic Response As Australian Newspaper Brands Him 'Crybaby'
A battle between the UK and Australia press has started ever since the second Ashes Test at Lord's concluded in a controversial manner.
The Lord's Test battle between England and Australian players might have ended on the field on Sunday but it continues between the media outlets of the two countries. After Monday's papers in the United Kingdom took a dig at the Australian team over the controversial Jonny Bairstow dismissal, the Aussie media hit back with 'crybabies' tag for Ben Stokes and his team on Tuesday morning. Seeing one of the newspaper front pages go viral on social media, Stokes couldn't resist taking a hilarious swipe.
The West Australian posted a picture of Stokes in nappies, with 'Crybabies' written in big letters in the centre. "Poms take whingeing to new level with 'cheating' drivel" read another line from the paper.
Reacting to the post, Stokes wrote: "That's definitely not me, since when did I bowl with the new ball".
That's definitely not me, since when did I bowl with the new ball https://t.co/24wI5GzohD
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) July 3, 2023
Stokes, reacting to the controversial Jonny Bairstow dismissal, had asserted that he wouldn't want to win a game in such a manner. But, the England captain admitted that whatever happened on the field was well within the rules of the game.
"If the shoe was on the other foot I would have put more pressure on the umpires and asked whether they had called over and had a deep think about the whole spirit of the game. Would I want to win a game in that manner? The answer for me is no," he had said on Sunday.
Australia captain Pat Cummins, on the other hand, feels Carey did what he should have, especially considering Bairstow had also been at the center of similar dismissals in the past.
"You see Jonny do it all the time. He did it on day one to Davey Warner. He did it in 2019 to Steve [Smith]. It's a really common thing for keepers to do if they see about a batter keep leaving their crease. So Kez [Carey], full credit to him. He saw the opportunity. I think Jonny did it a few balls beforehand. Rolled it at the stumps. Jonny left his crease. You leave the rest to the umpires," Cummins had said in the press conference after the match.
Trailing 0-2 at home to Australia, England are running out of time to prove 'Bazball' is truly the right way forward.
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Ben Stokes