England cricket star Jonny Bairstow 'refused to eat' after Ashes row against Australia

England Jonny Bairstow Australia cricket

England star Jonny Bairstow was devastated after Australia took his wicket in second Ashes Test

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Jack Otway

By Jack Otway


Published: 29/08/2023

- 12:31

The 33-year-old was left furious following controversy in the second Ashes Test last month

Australia cricket players say Jonny Bairstow was so angry he refused to eat lunch following his controversial dismissal in the second Ashes Test.

The England star wandered out of his crease after Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey had thrown the ball - and was ruled out when it then hit the stumps.


Tempers flared in the aftermath of the incident, with Australia players then jeered by members inside Lords.

Now, speaking to 7Sport, Australia cricket players have opened up with Marnus Labuschagne revealing Bairstow refused to eat lunch due to his rage.

David Warner Australia England

David Warner mocked Jonny Bairstow as Australia and England tempers rose

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"I was in the lunch room," he said.

"Jonny was steaming, absolutely steaming. He walked in the lunch room and didn't have lunch.

"The Sky crew knew that Jonny was in there and they just replayed it on the screen.

"And as you do, everyone's watching. Obviously seeing us all watch, he's like 'are you guys happy with that?'

"David Warner's spitting out his chicken and goes 'yeah, very.' The only words said."

Australia star Mitch Marsh said players then struggled to stifle their laughter in the wake of David Warner's ruthless comment.

"Remember at school when the teacher tells you off and you shouldn't be laughing? he said.

"Well, I was trying to eat my soup, so if you can imagine, I'm eating my soup and I'm shaking like this, and I'm just trying to look down and I look up at Jonny and I had pumpkin soup coming down my whites."

Travis Head weighed in by saying: "I had my back turned to Jonny but I could imagine Jonny looking at us and when David said, 'very', me and a few others got the shoulder shakes.

"He (Bairstow) would have seen three shoulders pucking with their heads down."

And Usman Khawaja claims even England players were amused, despite the hosts eventually going on to lose the Test.

"I walked out with a couple of the English boys and they were giggling," he said. "Bairstow still hasn't eaten anything. He sat the whole time.

"So I've finished up and left and Jonny hadn't touched anything."

The defeat at Lords would end up being a costly one for England.

They found themselves trailing 2-0, with Australia on the verge of a first triumph on enemy soil since 2001.

Fortunately, however, England managed to turn things around.

They won the third Ashes Test before drawing the fourth, with Stuart Broad's heroics then helping the hosts finish the series on a high.

Bairstow, meanwhile, recently insisted he was 'feeling good' having had to contend with injury issues over the past year.

“I feel good,” he said. “The ankle has held up really well, I’m delighted with how it’s held up. I’m delighted with how free I’m feeling at the moment.

“There’s naturally an unknown when you’re coming back from it. There’s times when you can turn or you can keep on it or twist on it or whatever.

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Jonny Bairstow was ran out as Australia beat England in the second Ashes Test

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“I don’t know what actually makes it flare up or if it does but it hasn’t done, so that’s a fantastic thing for me and gives me a huge amount of confidence going onwards.”

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