England captain Ben Stokes has cheekily responded to The West Australian’s hilarious front page following The Ashes controversy that has divided the cricketing world.
In the wake of England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow being stumped after dozily stepping out of his crease at a critical moment on day five of the second Test at Lords, media in the home nations and Australia have quickly revved up the controversy.
The West’s provocative front page has Stokes’ head superimposed on a baby’s body, dummy in mouth, nappy on and with the coveted urn spilt over and a shiny cricket ball just out of reach of his stubby fingers alongside the headline: “CRYBABIES.”
The cheeky front page has gone viral across the world, with Stokes taking to Twitter in a priceless response, declaring: “That’s definitely not me, since when did I bowl with the new ball?”
It comes British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak voiced his disgust at the controversy, saying Australia had failed to uphold the spirit of cricket.
“The Prime Minister agrees with Ben Stokes. He said he wouldn’t want to win a game like Australia did,” a spokesman for Mr Sunak’s office said.
“The game did provide an opportunity to see Ben Stokes at his best, and it was an incredible Test match, and he has confidence England will bounce back at Headingley.”
When asked whether Mr Sunak believed Australia had not upheld the spirit of cricket, his spokesman said: “Yes.”