Ben Stokes Cleverly Fires Back At Australian Newspaper's 'Crybabies' Tagline With Witty Response

West Australian newspaper with Stokes' photo [Twitter]

England captain, Ben Stokes, has responded to a taunting gesture by an Australian newspaper, The West Australian, regarding his recent comments on Jonny Bairstow's controversial dismissal during the recently-concluded second Ashes Test at Lord’s that took the cricketing fraternity by storm.

Ben Stokes strikes back in style

The newspaper's front page featured a photograph of Stokes as a baby, with a milk bottle's nipple in his mouth, accompanied by the caption "Crybabies."

In a clever retort, Stokes took to Twitter and retweeted the newspaper's post with a witty response and depicted his sense of humour.

“That’s definitely not me, since when did I bowl with the new ball,” tweeted the England skipper.

This follows Stokes' earlier criticism of Bairstow's dismissal, where he expressed that had England been in the fielding team, they would have retracted the appeal.

The incident in question is the dismissal of Bairstow by Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who cleverly ran him out while the Englishman assumed the ball was dead and had left his crease. This ignited a widespread discussion on the "spirit of the game” and prompted critics to scrutinize Australia's tactics and the ethical aspects surrounding the manner in which they secured the wicket.

In fact, speaking on the BBC Test Match Special, Stokes pondered the justification for the umpires calling "over," questioning whether the umpire's movement indicated the conclusion of the over. He acknowledged that while Bairstow was out as per the rules, he questioned the entire incident's spirit and ethics.

Furthermore, Stokes highlighted the difference in approach, stating that if the roles were reversed, he would have exerted more pressure on the umpires and evaluated the overall spirit of the game.

"For Australia, it was the match-winning moment. Would I want to win a game in that manner? The answer for me is no,"  opined Stokes.

The third Test between the two sides takes place at Headingley, Leeds on July 6. Australia lead the series 2-0.

---

ALSO READ

'I Wasn't Joking...': Virat Kohli Hails Ben Stokes' Heroics At Lord's

---