Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey has spoken publicly about the “viciousness” that followed his explosive dismissal of Jonny Bairstow during the Ashes.
Carey famously threw away the stumps when Bairstow left his goal area – an incident that tore the two sporting nations apart.
On the same day that Piers Morgan slammed Australia's “scoundrels” for laughing at the awkward moments after being sacked, Carey revealed he had no idea what hell he was going to unleash when he took Bairstow's wicket .
In an interview with Network 10's The Project, Carey said: “Not at all. When you're in the moment, you know you're fighting the team.
“You're trying to take wickets, you're trying to make runs, you're trying to get a competitive score.”
He also addressed the wild scenes of Australian players being verbally abused as they walked through the famous Long Room at Lord's.
When asked what he heard, Carey replied: “Lots of boos. And I think I was a little surprised at the meanness that followed.”
The incident was hotly debated around the world, but Carey later said he would outwit Bairstow again if given the opportunity.
Carey later said, “We got feedback pretty straight away. It's one of those things where a loss on the field is turned into a massive story. I think everyone is entitled to their opinion and absolutely respects it. And then everyone is entitled to their opinion on the spirit of cricket.”
Earlier in an interview with The Grade Cricketer, Australian players shared new details of the suspenseful – and sometimes hilarious – scenes in the Lord's Dining Room.
Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh and Travis Head are among the Australian players laughing at England's misfortune in the video.
Labuschagne said Bairstow was “absolutely steaming” and finally asked the Australians: “Are you guys happy with that?”
David Warner's response was “Yes, very much,” which did little to lighten the mood.
Now Morgan has emerged to slam Australians for laughing at such a controversial moment.
“If there's anything worse than Australia abusing the spirit of cricket so brazenly it's to see the villains laughing at it now,” Morgan wrote on Twitter.
“Stokes should play this video to his team before the next Ashes series. In fact, he should play it to them every day until then.”
Code Sports reported that tensions in the dressing rooms were not eased by the fact that UK broadcaster Sky Sports continued to show the controversial incident on loop, allowing it to be broadcast into the dining room for players to follow.
“The Sky crew knew Jonny was in there and just replayed it on screen. And while you're doing that, everyone is watching,” Labuschagne said.
“As he watched us all watching, he asked himself, ‘Are you happy with that?'
“Dave Warner spits out his chicken and says, ‘Yes, very much.' The only word that was said.”
Khawaja echoes the story: “Everyone had food in front of them except Jonny Bairstow. I thought that was a bit off,” he said.
All-rounder Mitch Marsh said he struggled to control himself.
“Remember how the teacher used to scold you at school and tell you not to laugh? “Well, I was trying to eat my soup,” Marsh said.
“If you can picture it, I'm eating my soup and I'm shaking and I'm just trying to look down, and then I'm looking up at Jonny and I've got pumpkin soup running down my pants.”
Marsh said he was convinced at least “some” England players were laughing as the drama unfolded.
Khawaja added: “I went out with some of the English guys and they were giggling. He still hasn't eaten anything. He sat there the whole time. I finished and left, and Jonny hadn't touched anything.”
– Waleed Aly's full interview with Alex Carey can be viewed on Network 10 and 10 Play on The Project on Wednesday 30th August from 6.30pm
