Reserved seats at Lord’s lie empty as Aussie WAGs party while the boys play
Aussie cricketers are enduring a punishing schedule at the Ashes, but their wives and girlfriends have been busy too — and their busy itinerary of eating out, drinking cocktails, shopping and Instagramming has raised eyebrows as seats reserved for them at Lord’s lie empty during matches.
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Australia were on the brink of Ashes glory last night — but the party started long ago for the team’s new posse of WAGs.
While the men have had a punishing calendar of cricket that has included the World Cup, tour matches and Tests, this group of WAGs has also had an exhausting schedule of eating out, drinking cocktails, shopping and Instagramming.
As Tim Paine’s boys were bowling England out for 67 yesterday, followers of his wife Bonnie and Nathan Lyon’s girlfriend Emma McCarthy were delighted to get an important update on Instagram — the pair were wearing matching Christian Dior slides.
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But while most people — even cricket tragic and former prime minister John Howard — have been enjoying the WAGs’ performance, apparently it has been raising a few bushy and unplucked eyebrows among some of the blazer-wearers.
It seems cricket’s old guard expects all perfectly plumped upper lips to remain stiff and the focus to be on the game, not the search for the perfect selfie.
There was apparently much harrumphing on the final day of the rain-affected second Test at the spiritual home of cricket — Lord’s — because, while the Australian batsmen were fighting to hold on for a draw and being peppered with bouncers, the new guard of WAGs were in a high-end hotel, modelling couture fashion and posting photos to Instagram about how fun it was to play “dress-ups”.
It seems that seeing reserved empty seats for WAGs at Lord’s was like a fast ball to the box for the blazer brigade, some of whom are still coming to terms with the idea of women being allowed into the ground.
Even when they’re in the stands, the glamorous posse is creating something of a scandal, employing topics of conversation that — shock, horror — aren’t solely about how the pitch is playing and the need to preserve one’s third umpire reviews.
However, while they might be failing this test at the Test, when it comes to perfectly-posed selfies, finding great places to shop or enjoy a spot of high tea, the new guard of WAGs are hitting the ball out of the ground.
Their Instagram feeds are a feast of exotic locations and luxury living. This was perfectly illustrated when Bonnie Paine, Pat Cummins’s girlfriend Becky Boston and Marcus Harris’s girlfriend Cat McAteer joined Nathan Lyon’s girlfriend Emma McCarthy and two of her sisters to post a series of pictures when they were at a London show for Paddington label Pallas Couture.
One sister, Rebecca Williams, works for the fashion label and the other, Genevieve McCarthy, is a London-based actor.
Cricket Australia pays for the partners’ flights for the Ashes tour to England and also pays for their accommodation over a three-week “visitor period”.
When asked for an official comment on the WAGs, a Cricket Australia spokesman said: “We don’t monitor individuals’ attendance or pass judgment on what they do with their time. The Australian men’s team has been overseas for almost six months this year already and we value and appreciate the important role played by players’ partners and families through this heavy touring schedule.”
Of course, if Australia retains the Ashes then the antics of the WAGs will no doubt be forgotten — at least until the next tour.
Originally published as Reserved seats at Lord’s lie empty as Aussie WAGs party while the boys play
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