Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow have fired back at fans after being sledged for their weight by SCG fans, as the Sydney Test was marred by crowd abuse for the second successive year.
Following India’s Mohammed Siraj being allegedly racially abused during their Test 12 months ago, The Age reports both Stokes and Bairstow, who were noticeably unimpressed with the barbs as they headed off for the tea break, were taunted for their fitness.
“Stokes, you’re fat,” a fan was heard saying in a crowd-sourced video published on The Age website. Another urged Bairstow to “take your jumper off… lose some weight”.
The pair stared down the offending spectators for a number of tense seconds, with Bairstow appearing to fire back with: “That’s right. Just turn around and walk away. Weak as piss.”
Bairstow later told media it was important to stand up against the taunts, and then wryly observed it was a shame the ugly fans hadn’t been around to greet him at stumps after he had advanced to a century.
“It was just a bit of bad bad mouthing. Obviously it’s not the greatest and it’s not needed,” Bairstow said. “We’re out there trying to do our jobs. People are out there enjoying the day’s cricket.
“Unfortunately sometimes you have people who overstep the mark and I think it’s important to stand up for ourselves because if we don’t stand up for ourselves you can cop it and especially when people overstep the mark they need to be told.
“It would have been nicer if they’d been there giving it when we walked off at the end… unfortunately they weren’t and missed the end of fantastic day’s Test cricket.”
Stokes is no stranger to crowd altercations. In a Test match against South Africa in Johannesburg in January 2020, he was caught on camera calling a fan a ‘f—ing four-eyed c–t’ after copping some lip after a dismissal.
Bairstow and Stokes were in the middle of one of England’s best batting partnerships in what has been a wretched tour, extending to 128 after the resumption before Stokes was trapped LBW off Nathan Lyon for 66.
Bairstow would push on, however, reaching his first Test century since England’s tour of Sri Lanka in November 2018 in the final over of the day.
Akitas
Roar Rookie
The fact that fat people needed to invent the term "body shaming" shows just how precious they are.
Akitas
Roar Rookie
Given that Stokes is a well known street brawler.
Akitas
Roar Rookie
Relevance ?
Akitas
Roar Rookie
I had to laugh when I heard one of the commentators say that Bairstow had been spending time in the gym. By the looks of him he has been spending time in a pie shop.
Diamond Jackie
Roar Rookie
Seriously? I'd expect my 5 year old to perhaps be put off by such trivial name calling... But professional sportsmen? Come on.
Andrew
Guest
Calling someone overweight not on. Headbutts as a greeting however......
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I just don't see why grown men carry on like that in the first place. I mean, really, who does that stuff in their personal life? Ok, I acknowledge that their some numbnats do indeed carry on like that publicly and in their domestic situations (the police can vouch for that), but really? We deflect to the actions of the recipients to excuse the actions of the poorly-brain-developed instigators? Is that what you're keen to expose your 8yo to on a day out at a sports game?
soapit
Roar Guru
well its good you can guarantee that
Pom in exile
Roar Rookie
Fan behaviour in football is a mess, no question. Not sure it excuses what happens at the cricket but never mind.
Nick Maguire
Roar Rookie
https://lawhandbook.sa.gov.au/ch16s05s02.php
Dan
Roar Rookie
Punching a pissed guy who is half a foot shorter than you outside a pub who was backing away (regardless of whether the guy was a knob and deserved it or not) doesn’t make you tough.
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
It's uncouth. Uncouth I say. You'd never hear the likes of Ian Healy, Javed Miandad, Eddo Brandes or Darryl Cullinan refer to a players weight. "Tickets, please." Regards Mota Aaloo
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
On so many occasions, spectators can cheer & roar, shouting very positive comments from the the other side of the fence. Do Stokes & Bairstow stop & ask security to get involved & settle the crowd down. After all, they are just highly paid sportsmen getting well paid to play the game & represent their country. There is no need for crowd banter or interaction. Or do they just choose to react when the spectators are delivering negative feedback?
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
This concept of unsavoury fan behaviour is not just confined to cricket. I'm sure EPL fans berate opposition players for being old, slow, overweight, soft etc every single week. Is this making the front pages in London? Or are you holding cricket fans to a higher standard? Double standards I say.
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
Professional cricketers haven't had any problem with their pay cheques getting a lot fatter over the last 5-10 years. If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Hudddo
Roar Rookie
I was on the boundary yesterday, malun was copping a pasting. I wonder why no one was given the flick?
Jim
Guest
It was very wrong to call Bairstow & Stokes “fat”. “Fat & your team is shit” would have been more appropriate.
bigbaz
Roar Guru
Yea but the pig was slimmer
Don Alfonso Lampard
Guest
Pretend?
Don Alfonso Lampard
Guest
Plenty of morons out there - I wish Bairstow & Stokes had laughed it off, but what they did was nothing anyway.