The rivalries between England and Australian cricketers are as famous as those between Indian and Pakistani players. Whether it is a One Day International, T20, Test match, or Ashes, verbal battles between English and Aussie cricketers are inevitable. The heated arguments on the cricket field always add spice, entertainment, and emotions to an ordinary cricket match. The cricket teams of Australia and England are two of the most competitive and skilled teams all over the world. The history of cricket not only records their achievements but also some of the epic fights that occurred between these two teams. So, here are the top ten most ugly disputes between England and Australian cricketers.
1. Mitchell Johnson Vs. Kevin Pietersen
The fast bowler of the Australian cricket team, Mitchell Johnson, is known for his aggressive bowling on the field. During one of the Test matches in the Ashes series, Kevin Pietersen and Johnson got involved in a heated argument. It was Mitchell Johnson’s over when Pietersen, for some initial balls, kept stepping backward to take his batting position and play with the bowler’s patience. As a result, Johnson got angry and threw the ball toward the batsman. Both began to have verbal banter consequently.
2. Joe Root Vs. David Warner
The clash between Root and Warner took a gruesome side and reached a level of physical brawl as some sources confirmed that David Warner punched Joe Root. This incident happened during the Champions Trophy in Birmingham after the match between England and Australia, when Warner observed Root wearing an Australian wig on his chin like a beard. David Warner considered it to be a sign of mockery of South African player Hashim Amla and his religious beliefs.
3. Ben Stokes Vs. Mitchell Johnson
The feuds of the Ashes are even more famous than the centuries made by cricketers in this particular test series. One such stormy fight took place between Ben Stokes and Mitchell Johnson in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide, when both stood in front of each other, having a blazing war of words and later had to be separated by the Sri Lankan umpire, Kumar Dharmasena.
4. Mitchell Johnson Vs. James Anderson
During one of the test matches between England and Australia, the audience got to see something that can only happen on the cricket field. Mitchell Johnson was on the non-striker’s end when he began sledging Anderson for his bowling, as he could not take many wickets that day. Surprisingly, on the very next ball, Anderson successfully took the wicket of Ryan Harris and proved that in cricket, actions speak louder than words.
5. Jofra Archer Vs. Steve Smith
It was the year when Steve Smith made his comeback to the Test cricket format after a two-year ban. In the Lord’s stadium, cricketers on the field and the audience were stunned by Jofra Archer’s bowling. It seemed as if the over had been thrown with the intention of harming Steve Smith physically. One of the balls during Archer’s over first hit the elbow of the Aussie batsman and then his shoulder, which made him fall to the ground on his chin. The third ball brutally hit his neck, and he fell again to the ground. It was one of the most attacking series of balls seen on the cricket field till today.
6. Stuart Broad Vs. Mitchell Johnson
Stuart Broad and Mitchell Johnson are among the best fast bowlers in international cricket. But what happens when it is a clash between two equally smashing players? In the third match between England and Australia in Edgbaston, Broad experienced ‘the greatest sledge ever’ as Mitchell Jhonson commented something about his sister savagely. Both stood closely facing each other on the pitch.
7. Brad Haddin Vs. Ben Stokes
It was the 2nd Test in Adelaide, 2013, when a heated argument propelled between Brad Haddin and Ben Stokes. The English all-rounder Ben Stokes was on the verge of taking his first Test cricket wicket of Brad Haddin, but the ball turned out to be a no-ball. Haddin passed a few comments to Stokes in ridicule and eventually, a verbal brawl began between the Australian wicketkeeper and Stokes, which soon had to be controlled by the umpire, Marais Erasmus.
8. Michael Clarke Vs. James Anderson
In the 2013 Ashes series, Michael Clarke and James Anderson were involved in an ugly fight which ignited initially between George Bailey and James Anderson. To shield his team members, Michael Clarke confronted Anderson and warned him to get ready for a ‘broken arm’ and ‘face up’ the fast bowlers of the Australian team. In an interview later, Clarke regretted using such language on the field as an Australian captain, but he did not regret standing up for his teammates.
9. Matthew Wade Vs. Mark Wood
In a T20 match between England and Australia at OPTUS Stadium, the audience got to see something that they had never seen before on the cricket ground. It was the over of English pacer Mark Wood, who, while trying to catch the ball, got hit by Matthew Wade’s intentionally stretched arm when he was running between the mid wickets. As a result, Mark Wood lost a precious catch. But later, Wade did admit his actions as against the spirit of cricket, as he deliberately blocked the path of Mark Wood.
10. Steve Smith Vs. James Anderson
In the second test match between England and Australia in Ashes, Anderson and Smith had a heated conversation on the field. Ashes has become a format of verbal banter and sledging more than cricket itself. During this verbal encounter between James Anderson and Steve Smith, for which the reason remains unknown, umpire Aleem Dar had to intervene to prevent further escalation.
