In a recent interaction, Australian Test captain Tim Paine slammed Ben Stokes and the English team for their hypocrisy regarding the crowd behaviour.
Earlier, Ben Stokes reacted vociferously after chants of him being called a ‘ginger’ and Irish pop artist Ed Sheeran. To which, he later offered an apology. However, Paine called out Stokes and co, for encouraging the Barmy Army on doing same.
Paine went on to state that players must learn to cope up with chants from fans and face both sides of music. During the Ashes series in England last summer, Steve Smith and David Warner had to face a hostile reception from the crowd, post the ‘Sandpaper Gate’.
“Absolutely, all the time. And it wasn’t just Steve and Dave, it was everyone. This is one of the things that’s always irked me, particularly with the English. You cannot react to the crowd [like Stokes in Johannesburg], but then always encourage the Barmy Army to do exactly the same, and worse – abuse players,” Paine told Daily Telegraph.
The former Australian leader, Smith and Warner, are all set to receive a similar reception from the crowd during their fixtures in South Africa, starting February 21.
Paine recalled the instance during the Edgbaston Test match and their treatment toward the ‘Barmy Army’, tagging them as their 12th man.
“Like we had in Edgbaston … they clap them at the end of the days’ play and make a big point of thanking them, as like the 12th man, or 13th player,” continued Paine.
The Aussies return to the shores of the African nation for the first time after the high-octane Test series in 2018.
“Then a little thing like that [Stokes being called Ed Sheeran], they react and all of a sudden, We’re getting abused from the crowd, we’re getting this, we’re getting that. That’s international cricket, just get on with it. It frustrates me, it really does,” concluded the Australian Test specialist.
