Ashes 2023: Anthony Albanese says Rishi Sunak clearly wasn’t taught to ‘stay in your crease’
Anthony Albanese has weighed into Australia’s Ashes’ beef with England again, formally addressing UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
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Anthony Albanese has returned fire in Australia’s Ashes’ beef with England, formally addressing UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after Johnny Bairstow’s dismissal went nuclear.
Wicketkeeper Alex Carey lit a fire underneath an entire nation when he quickly underarmed the ball to stump the English batsman at a crucial moment in the second Test at Lord’s.
Australia was immediately hit with screams of “cheats” from the crowd, with a number of official members taking aim at the side as they returned to the sheds.
The spirit of cricket has once again been brought into the debate, despite the fact Bairstow had attempted to perform an identical run-out earlier in the game.
Aussie skipper Pat Cummins expertly fended off the salivating UK press, who tried suggesting Australia would be underarm bowling next. The debate over where the line is in the self-professed “gentleman’s game” has generated a global buzz, with leaders being called forward to give their two cents.
Albanese made no apologies for the Aussies’ win after the match, congratulating Cummins for taking the series to 2-0. Later on Tuesday, Albanese shot another barb at the British PM, suggesting that Sunak had never been taught to stay in his crease as a youngster.
“Prime Minister Sunak’s disappointment is understandable,” he said via Nine Newspapers.
“But he must not have had the same lessons I got in primary school at St Joseph’s Camperdown: ‘Stay in your crease’.
“Hope you’re well, PM.”
It came after earlier comments from Albanese addressing England’s claims that the spirit of the game had been trashed.
“Same old Aussies – always winning!” the Prime Minister said in a tweet, invoking cries of English fans at Lord’s that Aussies are “always cheating”.
“I’m proud of our men’s and women’s cricket teams, who have both won their opening two Ashes matches against England.”
Captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum declared post match the controversial decision was not in the spirit of the game. Asked on Monday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak agreed.
“The prime minister agrees with Ben Stokes who said he simply wouldn’t want to win a game in the manner that Australia did,” the spokesman said.
Asked if he thought Australia had contravened the spirit of cricket, the spokesperson responded: “Yes”.
“I think the public would want the prime minister to focus on the core issues of the UK-US-Australia relationship,” the spokesperson said.
“Whilst there’s always going to be a friendly rivalry, I think they will be focused on more core issues.”
The British Prime Minister is a keen cricket fan and sat with Prince William to watch on from the Lord’s pavilion on Saturday.
While he denounced Australia’s win, a spokesperson said it was “right” for the Marylebone Cricket Club to take swift action to abuse hurled at the cricket team in the Long Room.
“He thinks it was right that the MCC have taken swift action to suspend any members accused of poor behaviour,” the spokesman said.
The MCC has suspended three of its members and issued an apology to the Australian team.
Originally published as Ashes 2023: Anthony Albanese says Rishi Sunak clearly wasn’t taught to ‘stay in your crease’
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