Jonny Bairstow believes he was “stitched up” by Australia over his ‘headbutt’ greeting for Cameron Bancroft – which he describes simply as a case of “boys being boys”.
Bairstow found himself in the Ashes headlines for the wrong reasons when Australian opener Bancroft told his team, and then the world, of the moment the England wicketkeeper chose the unusual method to introduce himself in a Perth bar at the start of the tour six weeks ago.
As Joe Root’s team return to Perth, 2-0 down already before the third Test, Bairstow has spoken publicly about the incident for the first time since a brief statement after the series opener in Brisbane.
It was there that Australia made capital out of Bairstow’s faux pas, reminding him of it in the middle and Bancroft then conducting a comedic press conference after the chat had been picked up by broadcasters on stump microphone.
Bairstow insists he was never concerned, however, and neither were England – even though team management imposed a tour curfew of midnight in response.
Writing in his Daily Mail column, Bairstow said: “A headbutt, to me, is something that has malicious intent.
“The reality is that it was nothing.
“(It was) boys being boys … there was minimal contact, I can tell you that.”
He admits he was taken aback by the fuss which erupted several weeks later.
“Did I feel as if I had been stitched up? Yes I did in many ways.
“But at the same time, I honestly never thought of it as anything to worry about.
“I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong and, more importantly, the team and management knew that too.
“Australia, as they have admitted, were trying to use it to get under my skin.”
Soon afterwards, he holed out at third-man as England lost the first Test by 10 wickets.
He added: “It did get to me a bit when they started sledging me, because I didn’t know what they were talking about.
“But I can honestly say the shot I got out to in the second innings had nothing to do with it.
“I (just) played a bad shot.”
There have been hints in some reports that Australia’s sledging has strayed into less jocular strains, and broadcast pundit Bob Willis said on air that some of the comments rumoured to have been directed at Bairstow were “personal”.
England’s wicketkeeper is not about to make any complaint, though – as long as there is no repeat.
“Some other things, apart from the ‘headbutt’ business, were said by Australia in the middle – but what they were is staying there,” he said.
“We move on. I hope it’s gone now. I’m not making an issue of it.
“Only if they are said again would the matter go further.
“I’ve not lost any friendships over the last couple of weeks, put it like that.”
Don Freo
Guest
Nah...you are bitter. At least, the words you type are. You could try not complaining.
Jake
Guest
Its the English mentality. It's never their fault. Take a look at brexit, the fault of Jonny Foreigner
Jake
Guest
Poms don't know how to play cricket or any other sport unless its with a Jiffy bag
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
Got me Mat. You definitely make me smile.
Matt P
Roar Rookie
"Inventing reality"? Oh boy, trolling 101 here. I saw the thread. You were jumping on everyone who commented and calling them childish - without any basis or justification. I'm sure you're laughing your head off behind your keyboard, thinking this is all very clever. Or possibly you're still not over being 2-0 behind this series. Either way, this is still pretty entertaining.
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
Don. Please don’t confuse ‘bitter’ with someone simply pointing out your error. That’s a weak argument. Whilst I agree with the sentiment ‘bring on the cricket’, I fear that will simply present another opportunity to those jingoists on here, to ply their tacky trade. Let’s hope not.
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
Now you’re inventing your own reality. There was a thread. A thread of responses to a simple observation I made to Adsa’s original post that it was childish - as indeed they grew more so as people worked themselves up. The fault is clear - just not to you.
Matt P
Roar Rookie
It was your original response that got pulled - the fault is yours. The original comment from Adsa is still there. If it had viability you'd state it again. Your lack of willingness to do so is more telling than anything else you're trying to read into.
Don Freo
Guest
With your bitter posts, I imagine you would probably greet people the same way. Geez you are a grump. Talk cricket...and get the Poms to play some cricket. My goodness, their parents must be cringing.
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
Once again Don. Please pay attention. I don't see anyone supporting Bairstow's actions and I'd challenge you to find any post of mine supporting them. Simply calling out some of the nonsense commentary from the media and certain posters on here.
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
Would have done pal - but someone caused the thread of comments I was referring to as childish to be pulled by the editors. Maybe there's your answer.
Matt P
Roar Rookie
I'm failing to understand your point here. Is that the English press happen to know what was said to Bairstow that was simultaneously unmentionable but no big deal but still potentially over the line? Why would all the press, including the Aussies (ignoring how you seem to know exactly what the press is aware of) keep a seemingly innocuous remark under wraps, with what they've already disclosed this series? Is it similar to how the English press have conveniently left out of their reports on the Duckett incident whether Anderson did to antagonise him? Surely they'd know that, right? The press seem to be all-knowing here. Clear difference here anyway. Moeen brushes the whole thing off as no big deal and never mentions it again, preferring to talk about his performances. Bairstow claims that he's not bothered by the sledging but goes on and on about it
Don Freo
Guest
Not so. You guys are just weird finding a way to support all this. Why not just expect your fellow Poms to play some cricket? That was the game you came out here to play.
ColinP
Guest
Unfortunately Don you believe everything you read in the Australian press it seems, best to read both sides of the argument. A good example is the Australian associated press article about moeen on this very site, I read the original article in England, and moeen discusses a sledge that Dave Warner gave him, nothing sinister but attributes it to Warner. He then discusses how he feels he's letting England down because of his figure injury, and muses on Lyon. The AAP reported the sledge, from an unknown player no mention of Warner, it wasn't a big deal so no need to protect him but they have for some reason, and they reported how he said he was letting England down, but with no mention of the figure injury he attributed it to. Selective reporting.....because they know their readers are daft like you and only want to read half truths
Matt P
Roar Rookie
What was the "childish overreaction" on here? Saying that Bairstow was lucky no-one deemed the incident worthy of any actual action is "childish"? Care to explain this insane lack of logic you're currently projecting?
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
Yeah Don, I wonder who whined so that everyone's comments disappeared Don. Hmmmm ...... It's a shame that in being so keen to keep spitting the vitriol, you are still not engaging brain, and in the process embarrassing yourself further. Your now deleted comment (hmmmm...) was put in a way that you claimed Bairstow had been 'set up' to commit the 'headbut'. What he actually claimed was that the revelation something had happened was a 'set up' i.e. via a conversation that would be picked up on a stump microphone. See the difference mate? You also proposed in your now deleted comment (hmmm....) that Bairstow had blamed someone else for the 'headbutt'. Really? Care to reproduce that comment from Bairstow? I'm not defending Bairstow's actions, never have in any post, just calling out the equally childish overreaction from some on here.
Don Freo
Guest
Neil, your comments have all disappeared...Hmmm. You ask, "Author: Neil Back Comment: Don, I’ve never supported Bairstow’s action in any post I’ve made. Challenge you to find one. And while you’re at it, please point to exactly where Bairstow ‘blames’ someone else for the ‘headbut’ or where he claims he was ‘set up’ to do so. Seems to me that you are now just making stuff up." I suggest you read the lead sports articles in yesterday's West Australian newspaper. You can read them on thewest.com.au Bairstow actually says he was "set up'. You guys are funny.
Don Freo
Guest
There is no "it". The English cricket team has conceded.
Don Freo
Guest
Us getting worked up? The Poms are driving everything. The Aussies just laugh. You do the fighting, the butting, the drinking, the whingeing and the crying. Now you are fighting each other. Didn't you come to play cricket? Remember that game?
ColinP
Guest
Don, no point getting yourself worked up....all the press basically know, including Aussie corps, its been kept under the radar for obvious reasons that it will do the sport no good in the aftermath of stokes etc....but it will come out at some point, maybe in the series, maybe straight after, but It will definitely become public knowledge because too many people know, and it will leak