Australia have been trolled by a banner flying overhead during the start of a crucial day of the Ashes against England at Headingley.
England started day four of the third Test on 27-0, chasing 251 to win the match and stay alive in the series after being beaten at Edgbaston and Lord’s. It was a tense situation on Sunday in Leeds after a rain-affected Saturday saw the bowlers set up a chaseable target.
Some home fans tried to lighten the mood – and poke fun at Australia – by paying for a small plane to fly a banner over Headingley. It read: “Same old Aussies – Taylors Sports Bar”.
It was a reference to a favourite chant from the home supporters over the past few days: “Same old Aussies, always cheating”. That chant has provided the backdrop to much of the opening three days of the Test match after controversy at Lord’s involving the dismissal of Jonny Bairstow.
The England wicket-keeper was stumped by Alex Carey after leaving his crease to talk to Ben Stokes, believing the ball to be dead at the end of the over. Australia captain Pat Cummins refused to withdraw his appeal, the dismissal stood and the visitors went on to win the game by 43 runs to go 2-0 up in the series.
Australia were booed by the Lord’s crowd, abused by some MCC members in the pavilion and have been heavily criticised by ex-players and pundits, who have sparked a debate about the spirit of cricket, which has even been commented on by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Sledging from the home supporters, led by the Barmy Army, has been ramped up since the incident. Carey, Steve Smith, David Warner and debutant Todd Murphy have been targeted by fans, who have tried to create a hostile atmosphere for Australia.
Ahead of the match Stokes said: “They might be a little more ramped up, for some reason. The atmosphere when it gets going, especially towards the end of the day, is something else. Even when things aren’t going our way, they’re still going wild. It’s just an amazing atmosphere at Headingley.
“Who knows if Jonny will use that incident as some kind of inspiration? But we’ve seen in the past that Jonny manages to do something after he’s criticised.”
He added: “The crowd absolutely love the fact that Yorkshire people walk out and play for England. They love watching Jonny and Joe Root. The crowd is amazing. It’s a natural thing – it’s a pretty hostile environment in Australia.”
Cummins defended the Bairstow dismissal and his side’s overall behaviour during the series. “The way our team conducted themselves over the last couple of years has been flawless,” he said.
“We’ve been fantastic and that showed again on day five at Lord’s. I think the spirit of cricket is 100 per cent a real thing, it’s a gentleman’s sport. And I think our players were outstanding in that regard.”
