England’s Barmy Army has made sure to keep up with the intensity of what is building up to be a cracking contest in the first Ashes 2023 Test at Edgbaston. Having composed songs of all sorts, for different players and different occasions, this fan army has now come up with a new one which accuses the Australian team of unfair play.
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The moment arrived during the post-lunch session. The English opening pair of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were on the field after their team had managed to take a slender lead of 7 runs in their first innings.
On the first delivery of the seventh over being bowled by Australian skipper Pat Cummins, Crawley was beaten on the outside edge of his bat after the former bowled a peach of a delivery outside the off-stump. While there didn’t seem to be any contact between bat and the ball, wicket-keeper Alex Carey went for a not-so-convincing appeal nonetheless. However, vice-captain Steven Smith, standing at first slip, seemed to be absolutely convinced of an edge.
Barmy Army Song Accuses Australia Of Unfair Play At Edgbaston
Perhaps looking at the animated reaction from Smith, Cummins decided to trudge towards him in anticipation of some good news. However, as the replay played out on the big screen, Smith is clearly seen suggesting that he heard nothing.
There was no way the Aussie skipper was risking a review for the same, while the replay later confirmed a daylight between bat and ball for that delivery.
The ever-energetic and vigilant Barmy Army were surely not letting go of an opportunity to troll the visiting team and Smith, in particular, after whatever had transpired. Resultantly, their deep, melodious voices began singing in unison a new song whose lyrics were, “Same Old Aussies, Always Cheating”.
The song might also have a lot to do with Smith’s involvement in the infamous Sandpaper gate scandal during Cape Town Test in 2018.
Aussies appeal but don’t go for the review ❌
“Same old Aussies, always cheating” 😂#Ashes pic.twitter.com/9XBXhUesOM
— England’s Barmy Army 🏴🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) June 18, 2023
Is It Mandatory For Teams To Opt For DRS After Appealing?
No, it is not mandatory. Since appealing for a wicket before the umpire is very much within the laws of the game, the fielding team does go for it while popping the innocuous optimism pill.
Despite going for the most confident appeal ever, it is in the hands of the team to opt for the DRS or not. Having said that, in such cases where fielders are absolutely convinced of an umpiring error, it can be quite frustrating for a casual viewer to see them not going for a review.
