Ashes grudges die hard, but genuine hatred would kill sport’s oldest rivalry

3 weeks ago 8

Opinion

November 11, 2025 — 7.30pm

Usman Khawaja's graceful acceptance of a possible reprieve for one of the Lord's members who abused him and the rest of the Australian team in the Long Room two years ago brought some welcome perspective to the pre-Ashes silly season.

England's cricket contest against Australia may be the oldest grudge match in world sport, but its longevity is as much about the preservation of respect between players and supporters from both nations as it is about the sparks that fly from time to time.

Alex Carey stumps Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s; an incident that caused tension in the 2023 Ashes series.

Should the Ashes truly descend to the war footing grotesquely taken by some Marylebone Cricket Club members in those frenzied moments after Jonny Bairstow’s stumping by Alex Carey, then the contest is actually at its greatest danger of disappearing.

Exhibit A comes from the Bodyline encounter 93 years ago. With angry cables exchanged, ambassadors and politicians involved, there was briefly a very real danger of that series being called off until the Australian Cricket Board withdrew its accusation of unsportsmanlike behaviour by the English tourists.

A couple of years later the MCC effectively sacrificed tour captain Douglas Jardine and his spearhead Harold Larwood to ensure the Australians would turn up for their reciprocal tour.

Australia made another such sacrifice in 1963 when Ian Meckiff was called for throwing in a Test match in Brisbane, therefore warding off the clouds of controversy over the following year's tour of England.

Exhibit B is the current standoff between India and Pakistan, where conflict between the two countries has become hopelessly entangled with their cricket teams. India's refusal to shake hands with their opponents during the recent Asia Cup, or accept the tournament trophy from the Pakistan board chair, marked a new low for the game.

Sir Ian Botham captured the balance of competitive juices and respect that made him such an admired Ashes performer.

Botham has delivered his share of outlandish statements about Australia. Once annoyed by the use of an impersonator of Queen Elizabeth II at an official function during the 1992 World Cup, he had fumed: “I’m very proud of my country and heritage, and unlike you, we have a heritage.”

Asked on Tuesday what stirred him about playing cricket at the MCG, Botham quipped that it had much to do with the feeling he was surrounded by “100,000 convicts who want to kill me”. But he added a little more gravitas with the recollections of his father Les, who served in the Fleet Air Arm during the Second World War.

Australian great Greg Chappell and former England star Ian Botham were in Melbourne on Tuesday.

“My old man before he passed away told me, he got out of Singapore just before the Japanese, and he just said, ‘listen, son, if you’re ever in trouble make sure you’ve got an Aussie covering your back for you, they’re solid’,” Botham said. “I agree with him.”

Standing alongside him was former Australian captain Greg Chappell, who gave his own view on respect for the opposition by speaking of how, in the childhood backyard Test matches of cricket's most celebrated family, he played the role of England because elder brother Ian always chose Australia.

These are the kinds of reasons why cricketers wince at the extremes of rhetoric and behaviour displayed by some supporters in this increasingly polarised age. Rivalry is one thing; hatred quite another.

England’s touring team certainly have no problem facing a team led by Steve Smith, despite the words of some supporters and columnists. Equally, the notion of goading Ben Stokes about the incidents of his colourful past, not least the Bristol nightclub episode, is considered out of bounds by many in Australia.

A couple of distasteful front pages in the West Australian newspaper, targeting Stokes and his captaincy predecessor Joe Root, have been derided as much within Australia as the UK.

It should not be forgotten, either, that Australia’s Bodyline cricketers didn’t just drop their anger about being peppered by Larwood. When he found himself ostracised in England, Larwood was convinced by Jack Fingleton to move to Australia, a move that was aided by no less a figure than former Prime Minister Ben Chifley. Australia warmed to a retired Larwood far more quickly than England, before he was belatedly honoured in his final years. Fingleton, Bert Oldfield and other Australian players from 1932-33 felt much the better for choosing warm company over the cold shoulder.

Towards the end of his time before the cameras, Botham described an exchange with Jonny Bairstow about the aforementioned stumping, making the point that the former wicketkeeper ultimately accepted the legitimacy of the dismissal.

“Jonny Bairstow won’t mind me saying this, he never actually complained about that incident,” Botham said. “He said, ‘I tried twice and missed the stumps,’ and I said, ‘well that’s your problem’. But he took it on though.”

Speaking more gravely, Botham added that “what happened in the Long Room was disgraceful”. More power to Khawaja, then, for showing the grace to forgive.

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