Ashes 2023: Ricky Ponting left fuming after England fans throw grapes at him during Oval Test

The rivalry between England and Australia extends well beyond the confines of a cricket pitch, with fans taking the matter into their own hands and showing their support for the respective home sides in many different ways. Such has been the case at the ongoing Ashes 2023 as well.

With England and Australia battling it out in the fifth and final Test of the series, former Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting was involved in a rather bizarre incident after the end of play on Day 1.

After the proceedings of Day 1 ended, Ponting was sharing his views on the game, which was when some English fans threw some grapes at the former Australian batter. The grapes landed right at Ponting’s feet, and the 48-year-old was left fuming at that moment. 

Seeing the grapes, Ponting launched a death stare towards the English fans and said "I have just been hit by grapes. I wouldn’t mind finding out who were those actually."

Hi @piersmorgan & @TheBarmyArmy

Is this within the spirit of the game?

Pelting grapes at Ponting who’s just a commentator.

I know you’ve lost the Ashes and all talk about Sour grapes pic.twitter.com/xkewu1h8v3

— FIFA Womens World Cup Stan account ⚽️ (@MetalcoreMagpie) July 28, 2023

Mitchell Starc’s class puts Australia in the game on Day 1

Speaking of the game, England came in to bat after losing the toss and looked to continue their excellence with the bat. Openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett amassed 22 and 41 runs, respectively. Furthermore, after Moeen Ali's 34-run knock, it was the brilliance of youngster Harry Brook that helped England post a respectable total on the board.

Scoring 85 runs in 91 deliveries, Brook helped his side amass 283 runs on the board in the first innings. England would have gotten closer to an even bigger total if it weren’t for Mitchell Starc’s heroics.

Bowling 14.4 overs in the first innings, Starc took a brilliant four-wicket haul and conceded 82 runs in the process. His spell helped Australia limit England to a reasonable total. Aiming to minimize their trail as much as possible in the final stages of Day 1, the visitors lost opener David Warner early.

With the series at a crossroads, it could be interesting to see whether England can level the score or whether the Aussies can take it away by winning the final Test.