Ben Stokes has responded in humorous fashion to a front page published by The West Australian in the wake of the Alex Carey-Jonny Bairstow stumping controversy in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.

The root of the drama was a dismissal at a crucial point on day five, with Stokes leading the charge in an unlikely, and ultimately unsuccessful pursuit of what would have been a record Ashes chase. At the end of the 52nd over, Bairstow ducked under a Josh Hazlewood bouncer, scratched his guard, and left his crease to enter into a discussion with his captain.

Unbeknownst to the England wicketkeeper, who believed the ball was no longer live, Carey, his Australia counterpart, had hurled the ball at the stumps to attempt to sneak a stumping. He hit the target, and with Bairstow out of his ground, the umpires had no choice but to rule him out.

The incident has lit the touchpaper on an already smouldering Ashes series, with the Australia team facing accusations of unsportsmanlike conduct, and entering into a confrontation with MCC members in the Lord’s long room. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has even weighed in, backing up Stokes, who stated that, in the same position, he would have withdrawn the appeal.

The English reaction has been met with a similarly strong response in Australia, with the front page of The West Australian one of the more notable. On it, Stokes’ head is photoshopped onto the body of a baby, complete with a dummy in the mouth. The main headline reads “Crybabies”, with a subheading of “Poms take whingeing to new level with ‘cheating’ drivel”.

Stokes responded by quote-tweeting an image of the cover, saying “That’s definitely not me, since when did I bowl with the new ball,” a reference to the pristine cricket ball on the cover.

That’s definitely not me, since when did I bowl with the new ball https://t.co/24wI5GzohD

— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) July 3, 2023

The third Test begins on July 6 at Headingley.

You can bet on the 2023 Ashes with our Match Centre partners, bet365.