FANS GET EJECTED AFTER ABUSING JONNY

FROM

FOUR Aussie fans who had been drinking were ejected from the SCG after abusing Jonny Bairstow over his weight.

The England man was leaving the field with Ben Stokes at tea when fans could be heard shouting: “Take your jumper off Bairstow! Lose some weight Bairstow!”

The two England players stopped and Bairstow replied. “That’s nice. Turn around and walk away. Weak as pi**.”

Stewards led the spectators away to the applause of others around them.

Bairstow said: “It was a bit of bad-mouthing from the crowd. Obviously, it’s not the greatest, it’s not needed. We’re out there trying to do our jobs, people are there enjoying the cricket.

“Unfortunately, sometimes you have people who overstep the mark. I think it is important to stand up for ourselves because if we are not standing up for ourselves, you can cop it. When people overstep the mark, they need to be told.”

There were a number of other fans marched out of the ground too, and a fist fight also developed in the Bradman Stand towards the close of play.

STOKES FUTURE IN DOUBT, BILLINGS FLIES IN

FROM DEAN WILSON

BEN STOKES could find himself on an early flight home due to the side injury that looks set to rule him out of the fifth Test in Hobart.

Stokes batted through the pain barrier to score 66, but was in obvious agony throughout and England will not want to risk any further damage.

He refused to have the area scanned before he began his innings on day three, insisting on doing what he could to help the team, but once medics get to assess the area he will almost certainly be required to rest with a decision to be made on his involvement in the West Indies tour in March.

Stokes could also be joined on the plane by Jos Buttler, who is nursing a hand injury he picked up while keeping on day two and if that proves to be serious, then an early departure for the multi-format players would make sense.

Sam Billings has been called up to the Ashes squad as cover for the Hobart Test because of Buttler’s hand injury and Jonny Bairstow’s potentially broken thumb.

in Sydney