‘Same old Aussies, always cheating’: Australia wicket-keeper sparks controversy on Lord’s return

On their first visit to the home of cricket since Alex Carey controversially stumped Jonny Bairstow in the Ashes, an Australian wicketkeeper once again had his sportsmanship questioned by a booing Lord’s crowd.

The keeper on this occasion was not Carey, but the Yorkshire-born Josh Inglis, the first-choice gloveman in white-ball cricket, with Carey taking his place in the side as a specialist batsman.

Inglis incurred the wrath of the Lord’s crowd for claiming a low legside catch of England captain Harry Brook off Mitchell Starc, which an umpire review revealed had clearly bounced.

Brook, who made a century in England’s series-saving win at Durham on Wednesday, was on 17 when he contrived to get a tickle on a legside ball from Starc, which Inglis attempted to take low down.

When given out by the standing umpire Joel Wilson, Brook began to walk, before the square-leg umpire Martin Saggers advised that it should be sent upstairs.

One replay revealed clearly that the ball had bounced, which led to the Lord’s crowd booing and chanting “same old Aussies, always cheating” at Inglis.

The incident brought back memories of last summer’s ill-tempered Ashes series. Carey’s stumping of Bairstow — who had dozily wandered out of his ground believing seamer Cameron Green’s over had ended — helped Australia to victory in the second Test, on their way to eventually retaining the urn.

It also raised animosity between the teams and sparked an unprecedented response from the usually demure Lord’s crowd, who believed the dismissal was against the “spirit of cricket”. Eventually, three members of Marylebone Cricket Club were banned, including one for life, for their treatment of Australia’s players in the Pavilion.

Pavilion regulations have since been tightened, following accusations that MCC members had not just verbally abused Australian players, but made physical contact with them.