The historic Ashes rivalry between the Australian and English cricket teams has reached new heights, with the Prime Ministers of both countries engaging in friendly banter. The recent controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow during the Lord’s Test prompted the two leaders to exchange light-hearted remarks on social media. However, they took their playful banter a step further by meeting in person on Tuesday.
And of course we discussed the #Ashes pic.twitter.com/FeKESkb062— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 11, 2023
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shared a video where they playfully teased each other while discussing the ongoing Ashes series. In the video posted by Albanese on Twitter, he can be seen holding a paper with “2-1" written on it, symbolising Australia’s lead after the first three Tests. Sunak responds by revealing a picture of England’s victory in the Leeds Test, prompting the Australian PM to counter with a picture of the controversial Bairstow dismissal. In a light-hearted tone, Sunak jokingly remarks, “I’m sorry, I didn’t bring my sandpaper with me," leading to laughter between the two leaders.
Following his team’s victory in the Lord’s Test, Albanese expressed pride in the Australian men’s and women’s cricket teams, who have both won their opening two Ashes matches against England. He mentions that Australia is fully supporting players like Alyssa Healy and Pat Cummins and looks forward to welcoming them home as victorious champions.
However, a spokesperson for the UK PM revealed that Sunak was not pleased with the manner in which Australia secured their second Test victory. The spokesperson stated that Sunak, in agreement with Ben Stokes, believed that winning a game in the manner Australia did was not desirable. The controversy surrounding the Bairstow dismissal has added a competitive edge to the rivalry between the two teams.
While England managed to stage a comeback in the third Test, they would need to win the remaining two matches if they want to claim victory in the series. Australia, on the other hand, remains the favorite to win the Ashes, given their current strong position.
