‘Give yourself an uppercut’: Karl Stefanovic slams ‘loser’ Piers Morgan

Today host Karl Stefanovic has blasted Piers Morgan as the Jonny Bairstow stumping saga took a hilarious twist for the third Test.

Karl Stefanovic has waded into the Jonny Bairstow stumping furore, laughing off Piers Morgan’s pearl-clutching over the incident and calling the broadcaster “a loser”.

In a week that has included the Australian and British PMs go head-to-head, it’s up to the TV hosts to carry on the battle.

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It comes after Aussie wicketkeeper Alex Carey stumped England’s Jonny Bairstow when the latter wandered out of the crease.

The cricket world erupted with talk of “Spirit of the Game”, but the Aussies have shrugged it off, particularly when it was revealed Carey both threw the ball while Bairstow was still in the crease, and only held the ball of 0.87 of a second.

Carey had thrown the ball before Bairstow went for a wander. Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

However, despite many England legends having more problems with Bairstow wandering from the crease, Morgan has been running a campaign against Australia, saying the nation “ran a bulldozer” through the Spirit of Cricket.

On Thursday, Stefanovic revealed he had reached out to Morgan to ask him on Today, who said “he will come on our show, when England win the series 3-2”.

Stefanovic and his co-hosts then proceeded to take aim at the Brit.

“Are you serious?” Brooke Boney responded. “He’s absolutely dreaming.”

Sports presenter Alex Cullen said Piers should: “Give yourself an uppercut.”

But Karl took the most pointed swipe.

“He’s such a lightweight, he's pathetic,” Karl added. “I can’t believe it, what a loser.”

The video was posted on Twitter with three chickens followed by Morgan’s handle.

Morgan replied: “Book me in for Tuesday, August 1. You won’t be so cocky then.”

Stefanovic came back, writing: “Haha we win this in three days.”

Haha we win this in three days.

— Karl Stefanovic (@karlstefanovic) July 6, 2023

Morgan has been on a one-man vendetta against Australia, despite admitting there was nothing wrong with the dismissal.

After calling Australia “pathetic” for not withdrawing the appeal, Morgan called out every Australian cricketer or journalist, saying “We can’t get a single Australian cricketer or journalist to come on @PiersUncensored to defend yesterday’s outrage. Any takers? Or should I assume you’ve all realised it’s beyond defending?”

Soon after, both Melinda Farrell and Peter Lalor stood up, with Morgan pleaded the “Spirit of the game”, despite several instances of English hypocrisy, some from the same match, that have been revealed since.

After framing the incident through the ball-tampering scandal from 2018, Morgan asked Lalor: “Why didn’t (Australian captain) Pat Cummins withdraw that appeal? You don’t, in your guts, feel comfortable about what you saw, did you?”

Lalor’s reply was unequivocal.

“100 per cent comfortable,” Lalor said. “Anybody who plays cricket, Piers, knows that the over’s not over, until the umpire calls it over.”

Lalor also said that Morgan’s impassioned defence of the ‘spirit of cricket’ was itself misguided.

“You talk about the spirit of cricket, the spirit of cricket talks about accepting the authority of the umpire,” he said. “Of creating a positive atmosphere in the way you play.

“I think English cricket owes Australia an apology – (there was) absolute hooliganism at Lord’s.

“By the members and by the public, and it’s been spurred on by your team, to cover up for the fact that they’re 2-0 down in the Ashes.”

But despite the weight of evidence and testimonies from some of his most famous cricketing countrymen to the contrary and no shortage of Aussies who believe there was nothing wrong with the call, it still hasn’t convinced Morgan, who is arguing that Cummins did something wrong by not withdrawing the appeal.