Sledge butts Brits to defeat
STEVE Smith says England may have headbutted their way into Ashes oblivion after Australia destroyed Jonny Bairstow in the sledging war.
Even after Australia’s emphatic 10-wicket first Test triumph, rival captain Joe Root appeared to be peddling a theory that the leaking out of “headbutt-gate” was some sort of baggy green conspiracy.
Smith cut through the hysteria and simply called the day four drama for what it was: perhaps one of the most effective sledging campaigns in cricket’s celebrated history of mental disintegration.
Australia felt they could get inside Bairstow’s head and after a barrage of sledging the panicked batsman played a disastrous shot that ultimately triggered England’s epic capitulation, rammed home by headbutt victim Cameron Bancroft blasting a superb 82 not out on debut.
“It was basically about trying to get Jonny off his game, to be honest with you,” Smith said. “And I think it worked.
“He got caught at third man playing a pretty ordinary stroke, to be fair. We were just trying to get in his head and it happened to work.”
Bancroft copped the headbutt in Perth four weeks ago, but yesterday he sliced and diced his opposite both on the field and off, splicing an emphatic 173-run stand with David Warner into an honest
and humorous press conference that made Bairstow’s non-explanation look embarrassing. It’s understood Bairstow was with at least one other England player on the night in question in Perth where he headbutted Bancroft, at the time playing for WA.
Despite Bairstow and Root trying to blame Australia and the media for “blowing it up out of all proportion”, England coach Trevor Bayliss couldn’t help but lay bare his bitter disappointment with the “dumb” actions of his own players.
Triple M’s stump microphone broadcast audio from their day four commentary captured Warner sledging a player purported to be Jimmy Anderson with “you shouldn’t headbutt our mates”.