Ashes 2023: Ben Stokes responds after Australian newspaper takes massive 'crybabies' swipe at Three Lions with captain's picture on front page

In a Test match that will be remembered for a long time, Australia defeated England by 43 runs at Lord's on July 2 (Sunday) and took a commanding 2-0 lead in the ongoing Ashes series.

SportsTak

• Tue • 04 Jul 2023

In a Test match that will be remembered for a long time, Australia defeated England by 43 runs at Lord's on July 2 (Sunday) and took a commanding 2-0 lead in the ongoing Ashes series. On the final day of the Test, emotions ran high not just amongst the players but also among the crowd present inside the stadium to watch the action unfold. The tipping point came when Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow after the latter ducked a bouncer from Cameron Green and casually left his crease.

England cricketers, head coach and fans voiced their displeasure on the incident and questioned spirit of the game as the Three Lions ended up losing the match and Bairstow's dismissal played a big part in it.

"I think there’s quite a lot of factors you’ve got to take into that," Stokes told Sky Sports.

"At the end of the day it’s out, (but) if the shoe was on the other foot I’d probably just have a little think about the spirit of the game. It’s happened and we’ve just got to move on with what’s in front of us," he added.

Reacting to the outburst from England players, Australian newspaper 'The West Australian' took a major swipe and the Three Lions players and called them 'crybabies' with Stokes' picture on the front page.

"Poms take whingeing to a new level with ‘cheating’ drivel," read on the headers on the front page of 'The West Australian’.

The England captain reacted to the dig and came up with a cheeky response. Replying to a tweet, Stokes said, "That’s definitely not me, since when did I bowl with the new ball."

Meanwhile, The Baggy Greens took a commanding 2-0 lead against England after registering a fantastic 43-run victory in the recently-concluded Lord's Test. Cummins' men weathered Stokes' onslaught at the 'mecca of cricket' and doubled their lead in the series. Earlier, Australia won the Edgbaston Test by two wickets.