Chris Broad has been rebuked by the International Cricket Council after posting a meme which mocked Australia batter David Warner.
Broad, who is the father of England bowler Stuart Broad, works as a match official for the ICC. He tweeted a meme which depicted Warner as Bart Simpson writing the line “Stuart Broad has got me out again” over and over on a blackboard in detention.
The post came after his son dismissed Warner for the 17th time in Test cricket by having him caught in the slips on day two of the third Ashes Test match at Headingley. Warner has struggled massively against Broad’s angle from around the wicket and has now been dismissed by him in three of his five innings in the series.
Chris Broad, who played 25 Tests for England in the 1980s, has since deleted his tweet following criticism. And the Sydney Morning Herald reports that the 65-year-old was reprimanded internally by his employers, the ICC, who said it was ‘unbecoming’ of his role as a neutral match official.
The episode is just the latest in a long line of incidents which have added some off-field spice to proceedings in the Ashes. Stuart Broad has been in the thick of things, reacting angrily to Alex Carey’s stumping of Jonny Baistow in the previous match at Lord’s.
He was caught on the stump microphone telling Carey "you'll forever be remembered for that" and telling Aussie captain Pat Cummins it was “literally, that's the worst thing I've ever seen in cricket, that."
Broad later admitted that the “red mist” had descended at Lord’s and caused him to do some “silly” things, which included making a show of shouting “in” while grounding his bat in the crease after every ball in an effort to wind up his opponents.
The 37-year-old has not just been placed in charge of sledging, he has been England’s lead bowler during the first three matches. And his dominance against the usually prolific run-scorer Warner has sparked questions about the opener’s future at the top of the order.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has moved to calm down any talk of the 36-year-old stepping down. “When you have an opening bowler bowling to an opening batsman, they are more likely to get them out with a new ball at times,” McDonald said.
“I think the three 50-plus run opening partnerships that Usman and Dave have put on in the series have been telling and have had great impact. So [I am] not here to discuss David Warner at this stage.”
Rain washed out the first session of day three of the third Test at Headingley, with Australia on 116/4 in their second innings, holding a lead of 142 runs.
