Cricket Australia call out false $57 haircut rumour about Alex Carey

Alex Carey has been branded a villain, and an unlikely source has joined the chorus, claiming the Aussie keeper owes him $57.

A UK barber has claimed Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey owes him £30 for a haircut. Picture: Getty Images.

A UK barber has given Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey until the end of the Third Test to pay £30 (A$57), after he allegedly left without paying for his haircut.

Cash-only clipper Adam Mahmood, 39, says he is willing to wait for the money after Carey promised to pay later because he had no notes on him — but he’s set a deadline of Monday, as reported by The Sun.

Carey — branded a cheat by the UK media for stumping Jonny Bairstow out at the second Ashes test at Lord’s — had promised to send the cash by bank transfer.

Adam, of Doc Barnet’s Barber Shop in Leeds, said: “I’m still waiting.”

Carey called in with teammates Marnus Labuschagne, 29, David Warner and Usman Khawaja, both 36, on the eve of the Third Test at Headingley.

While the rest posed for snaps and paid, Carey reportedly refused to have his photo taken and left.

But the Australian team has denied the Carey conspiracy, saying the wicketkeeper didn’t get a haircut and it was in fact a different player who was yet to cough up money for their trim.

Australian management say the claims Alex Carey owes a barber £30 are untrue. He hasn’t had his hair cut since the WTC final.

Another player went to said barber, paid via international transfer on the spot, and they’ll return today with the receipt to clear up confusion. #Ashes

— Scott Bailey (@ScottBaileyAAP) July 8, 2023

News Corp reports a different Australian squad member had visited a local barber who paid for a haircut by international transfer immediately, having walked into the barber not knowing it was cash only.

The squad member has the receipt which they will take to the barber today to clear up any misunderstanding.

“They all came in just before we shut, Adam told The Sun.

“We cut their hair and had a great laugh.

“But we don’t accept cards and Alex said he had no cash on him.

A UK barber has claimed Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey owes him £30 for a haircut. Picture: Getty Images.

“Well, there’s a Tesco cash machine literally round the corner he could have run to.

“He could have nipped back to their hotel and been no more than five minutes but instead he said he would transfer it.

“Maybe he forgot. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt but if it’s not paid by Monday, I won’t be happy.”

Adam, meanwhile, said he was unaware of the stumping saga until former England skipper Sir Alastair Cook called in for a trim.

Cook said in commentary on the BBC he had his hair cut at the same Leeds barber, sharing the false rumour about Carey.

A shocking revelation about Australia's Alex Carey! 😲#BBCCricket#Ashespic.twitter.com/fzljpIdHho

— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 6, 2023

“He says ‘one of them, I think Alex is his name’. I said ‘Alex Carey, wicketkeeper?’” Cook said on radio.

“He says ‘he hasn’t paid.’ It was one of those cash only barbers and he promised him he would do a transfer later on in the day.”

Cook said told fellow commentators: “True story. He might have paid by now.”

The hairdresser said: “Cooky told me all about what happened and laughed when I told him Carey had done a runner.

“He’s starting to get quite the reputation.”

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Cricket Australia call out false $57 haircut rumour about Alex Carey