'Same old Aussies – always winning' - Australian PM Anthony Albanese hits back after Rishi Sunak's statement

Jonny Bairstow's controversial stumping on the final day of the Lord's Test has caused quite a stir, with political leaders from Australia and England weighing in with their opinions on the debacle. While Rishi Sunak backed Ben Stokes' claim regarding the nature of the dismissal, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese lauded his teams, taking a subtle jibe at his counterpart.  

Although England skipper Ben Stokes had no qualms with the Aussies for dismissing Bairstow in the manner they did, the star all-rounder claimed his side would never go down that route to win a match. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak also backed Stokes' statement. 

“The prime minister agrees with Ben Stokes, and he said he simply wouldn’t want to win a game in the manner Australia did. The game did provide an opportunity to see Ben Stokes at his best and it was an incredible Test match, and he has confidence England will bounce back at Headingley,” Sunak's spokesperson said in a statement.

Contrary to the statement from the UK PM's office, his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, celebrated the victory of Pat Cummins and Alyssa Healy's sides in their respective two Ashes games so far. Albanese also took a subtle jibe at the Lord's crowd, who jeered the Aussies on the fifth day with 'Same old Aussies – always cheating!' chants.

“I’m proud of our men’s and women’s cricket teams, who have both won their opening two #Ashes matches against England. Same old Aussies – always winning! Australia is right behind Alyssa Healy, Pat Cummins and their teams and look forward to welcoming them home victorious,” Albanese wrote via his Twitter handle. 

I’m proud of our men’s and women’s cricket teams, who have both won their opening two #Ashes matches against England.

Same old Aussies – always winning!

Australia is right behind @ahealy77, @patcummins30 and their teams and look forward to welcoming them home victorious 👏

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 3, 2023