British PM Rishi Sunak weighs in on controversial stumping at Lord’s
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London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has weighed into the growing controversy surrounding the Ashes series, with Downing Street backing the England cricket captain’s complaint about the Australian team’s on-field behaviour.
In comments that move the famous Test rivalry towards a fully blown diplomatic incident for the first time since the 1930s Bodyline series, a spokesman for the prime minister said he supported the views of Ben Stokes over the so-called “cheating” scandal.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has backed England cricket captain’s complaint about the Australian team’s on-field behaviour.Credit: Getty Images, AP
Relations between the two teams took a spiteful turn at a febrile Lord’s cricket ground in London on Sunday where fans and players expressed fury over Australia’s controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow on day five.
England condemned Australia’s decision not to withdraw their appeal when Alex Carey under-armed the ball onto Bairstow’s stumps as he wandered out of his ground believing Cameron Green’s over to be complete and the ball dead.
In a statement on Monday, Sunak’s spokesman told The Sun: “The prime minister agrees with Ben Stokes, and he said he simply wouldn’t want to win a game in the manner Australia did.
“The game did provide an opportunity to see Ben Stokes at his best and it was an incredible test match and he has confidence in the wall bounce back at Headingly”.
The UK’s Labour opposition also backed Stokes over the controversial dismissal of Bairstow.
Shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell told The Standard: “It was within the rules but not within the spirit.”
Australia were roundly booed for the remainder of the match, and called on MCC, the custodians of Lord’s, to investigate alleged “verbal abuse” and “physical contact” with their players as they walked back to the changing room at lunch.
Usman Khawaja and David Warner were among the players to call out specific MCC members.
The infamous 1932-33 Ashes series caused great tensions between the two nations after Australia’s cricket board sent an angry cable complaining about the “bodyline bowling” by England.
“Unless stopped at once likely to upset friendly relations existing between Australia and England,” it read.
The then South Australia governor, Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven, warned James Henry Thomas, who was the UK’s secretary for Dominion affairs, that the dispute could have serious economic consequences for both countries.
Thomas later said: “No politics ever introduced into the British Empire caused me so much trouble as this damn bodyline bowling.”
Australian prime minister Joseph Lyons later intervened to ease tensions by pointing out to the Australian board the economic calamity in the event of a British boycott.
The Marylebone Cricket Club, the owner of Lord’s Ground and the guardian of the laws of the game, apologised on Sunday and Cricket Australia demanded a probe after Khawaja and Warner were confronted. Three members were later suspended.
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