Watch - "See Ya, Smudge": Jonny Bairstow's Cheeky Send-off Leaves Steve Smith Infuriated

08.07.2023 - 06:23 sports.ndtv.com

The ongoing third Ashes Test between England and Australia is getting more intense with every passing day. Opting to bowl first, England bundled out Australia for 263 on the first day but the visitors whole-heartedly retaliated and bowled out the hosts for 237 on Day 2.

Later in the day, Australia lost four wickets with 116 runs on the board at stumps. Despite all this action, one thing which grabbed a lot of limelight was the tensed moment which occurred between Steve Smith and Jonny Bairstow on Friday.

During Australia's second innings, Steve Smith played a shot on Moeen Ali's delivery and was caught by Ben Duckett. As he was making his way back to the dugout, Bairstow was heard saying, "See ya, Smudge!" Smith, who got infuriated with the comment, said, "What was that, mate?!?

HEY!" To which the English wicketkeeper replied, "I said, 'Cheers, see ya later'." "See ya, Smudge!""What was that, mate?!? HEY!"Jonny Bairstow getting in Steve Smith's head pic.twitter.com/PyTKFuaC4s The ongoing match is Smith's 100th Test appearance and he failed to leave a mark in both the innings.

cricket Australia Cricket Team England Cricket Team Ashes 2023 watch Jonny Bairstow Steve Smith Mitchell Marsh Moeen Ali Steven Smith Britain Australia

Fast bowler Mark Wood took three wickets after Jonny Bairstow pulverised Australia with a thrilling 99 not out as England strengthened their grip on a must-win fourth Test at Old Trafford on Friday. Australia were 113-4 in their second innings at stumps on the third day, still 162 runs behind England's huge first-innings 592. Durham express quick Wood had stumps figures of 3-17 from just seven overs, a return that included the 100th Test wicket of his injury-blighted career. England, at 2-1 down with two to play, have to win in Manchester if they are to stand a chance of regaining the Ashes. Wicketkeeper Bairstow followed his blistering 81 ball-assault on Australia's bowlers, which included 10 fours and four sixes, by holding a routine edge off Wood as Australia lost Usman Khawaja early in their innings.

Watch: Jonny Bairstow's Sensational Catch To Dismiss Mitchell Marsh During 4th Ashes Test

The first day of the ongoing fourth Ashes Test between England and Australia was no less than any rollercoaster ride as the dynamics of the game kept on changing. Opting to bowl first, the Ben Stokes-led side got an upper hand after Chris Woakes took four wickets but the likes of Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head helped Australia reach a total of 299/8 at stumps. The day also turned out to be really memorable for English wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow as he took three brilliant catches behind the stumps. Out of the three dismissals, the wicket of Mitchell Marsh became the highlight of the day.

Watch: Ishan Kishan's Cheeky Stumping Attempt vs Jason Holder Almost Forces A Jonny Bairstow-like Situation

Since the Jonny Bairstow incident in the second Ashes Test, where the England batter was cheekily stumped by Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey at Lord's, there has been a lot of discussion on the 'rules of the game' vs 'spirit if cricket' debate. A similar situation almost arose on the third day of the first Test between India and West Indies in Dominica on Friday. Test debutant wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan attempted cheeky stumpings of Jason Holder off Ravindra Jadeja's bowling. However, the Bairstow-like dismissals were avoided.

Watch: Rishi Sunak's "Sandpaper" Retort As Australian PM Brings Up Jonny Bairstows Dismissal In Meet

The Ashes rivalry between Austrlian and England cricket teams have climbed new levels, with the Prime Ministers of the two countries getting involved in banter. The two leaders of their respective countries were involved in a light-hearted crosstalk after the controversial Jonny Bairstow dismissal in the Lord's Test. While most of the banter remained on social media after the conclusion of the Lord's Test, the two political leaders decided to take matters one step ahead as they both met on Tuesday.