Captain downplays sledging claim At a glance
Australia captain Tim Paine downplayed the spat between Matthew Wade and England skipper Joe Root after a day which saw tempers from both sides fray towards the end of a gruelling Ashes series.
Wade was at the centre of multiple spot fires while, in a separate incident, England all-rounder Ben Stokes allegedly labelled David Warner a ‘‘f...ing prick’’ with tensions rising as England seized control of the fifth test on the third day at The Oval.
It is unclear what sparked Stokes’s angry words as the two sides left the field for lunch. His batting partner Joe Denly said he had not heard any goading by the Australians in reference to the all-rounder’s involvement in a violent street brawl outside a Bristol nightclub two years ago.
Paine was addressed by umpire Marais Erasmus after a run-in between Wade and Root early in the Englishman’s innings on Saturday. Wade was also spoken to by Erasmus’s partner Kumar Dharmasena, the pair stepping in to defuse any escalation between the two sides, who have, on the whole, played for the urn in good spirits in contrast to the bitter battle in 2017/18.
The run-in between Wade and Root is one of the rare instances umpires have warned Australia For the latest on the final Ashes test, go to stuff.co.nz
for their on-field behaviour since they pledged to clean up their act in the wake of the ball tampering controversy in South Africa last year.
The combative Wade, who was once recalled to the test side for his voice more so than his form, has tested the patience of England players this series with his endless chirp in the field, though much of it has been inane instead of offensive.
Wade also gave thinly-veiled advice to Dharmasena after the umpire turned down a shout for lbw against Ben Stokes off the bowling of Marnus Labuschagne.
As Labuschagne was seeking clarification at the end of the over as to whether the batsman had offered a shot, Wade pulled his team-mate away telling him within earshot of the umpire that he had clearly set a precedent for the rest of the game.
Paine said there was nothing untoward in the incident between Root and Wade.
‘‘You tell me. I think we’ve been fantastic, I think both sides have played this series in good spirit,’’ Paine said
‘‘It’s competitive test cricket and people are going to talk to each other. I don’t know why it’s such an issue. It’s fine.
‘‘They are grown men having a conversation, no one is swearing, no one is abusing anyone. It’s test match cricket and I don’t understand why so much is made of something so little, particularly given the standard of cricket being played. I think there’s so much more to talk about.’’
Denly defended Wade, saying the Tasmanian had not overstepped the mark with his verbal barrage.
‘‘I think it’s two very competitive teams playing a big series. Matthew Wade is a very competitive player and just trying to do his best for Australia,’’ Denly said. ‘‘There’s always going to be a bit of niggle but nothing over the line, just a bit of friendly banter.’’