Never-before-seen film shows Australian cricketers responding to the unpleasant incident in the Long Room at Lord’s during the last Ashes series, with one player calling belligerent spectators ‘f**king fools’.
Pat Cummins and wicketkeeper Alex Carey became public enemy No. 1 after stumping Jonny Bairstow during the second Test at Lord’s in London.
The event made headlines in the United Kingdom and Australia, with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak commenting on the controversy, while English supporters booed Cummins and Carey throughout the series.
The incident also infuriated the normally tranquil MCC, with members nearly coming to blows with Australia’s David Warner as the squad came through the long room for lunch just after Bairstow was dismissed.
The athletes’ instant reactions are caught in the most recent season of Prime Video’s The Test, which will air later this week.
The video takes you inside the dressing room shortly after the contentious event, when Marcus Harris gets a chuckle from his teammates when he informs them that “they (spectators) were kicking off over the fence.” I was like, “You write the rules, you f***ing idiots; it’s not our fault.”
Marnus Labuschagne adds, “One bloke was foaming at the mouth.” A man kicked ‘Bull’ (David Warner) as he climbed the stairs.
After the teams argued during the lunch break, Labuschagne said, “You almost missed a brawl in the lunch room.” Jonny came in hot. He asks, “Are you guys happy with that?”‘ Davey (Warner) is in the middle of eating a chicken thing when he suddenly pauses, takes it out, and says, ‘yes, very’. It was freaking priceless.
Usman Khawaja was taken aback by the members’ comments, recalling one of them saying, ‘I can say anything I effing want’.
‘One of the MCC members began spraying me. There were perhaps three of them who called out, but one was very disrespectful.
Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, also identifies himself as the mastermind behind the scheme to defeat Bairstow.
‘I saw him do it (wander out of his crease) a couple of balls in a row,’ said Cummins.
‘So I said to ‘Kez’ (Carey) the ball before, just have a throw.’
The doco also includes footage of Cummins talking to coach Andrew McDonald about his on-field clash with England paceman Stuart Broad.
‘Broad said something like, “unfortunately mate, that’s what you’re going to be remembered for… I can’t believe you’ve done that”,’ Cummins said.
‘And I’m like, “Oh Broady, you’re such an upstanding citizen mate, aren’t you?”‘
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