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‘England crowd at it’s very best’ – Fans react to England fans reminding Steve Smith of the sandpaper incident

Steve Smith

The Ashes 2023

‘England crowd at it’s very best’ – Fans react to England fans reminding Steve Smith of the sandpaper incident

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One of the most intriguing contests in the longest format of the game recently has been the first Test of the ongoing Ashes series, which is still up for grabs for both England and Australia. The match has lived up to expectations because, after a ferociously contested struggle that lasted over four days, there is still a strong chance that either team will prevail in the Test match. As if that were not enough, the supporters of the teams have added their own distinctive cheers.

Similar to how the players have been chirping at one another on the pitch, the English audience has been rather animated. The audience at Edgbaston noticed Steve Smith in the famed Eric Hollies stand on the fourth day when Australia fielded in the second innings. They abruptly began singing a song to remind Smith of the sandpaper episode, in which he apologised in a press conference to his country for indulging in ball-tampering in 2018 during the South Africa tour. 

Smith was in tears during that press conference so much that the sight of it may still trouble him and his devoted followers everywhere. The chant that the crowd used was quite personal but Steve Smith took it with a big beaming smile. The chant said, “Steve, we saw you cry on the telly.”

England finish on a high on Day 4

Speaking of the game, Australia continued to put a strain on England by contributing wickets on a regular basis. Following Joe Root’s departure, Australia used bouncer strategies, reminiscent of what England used with their tailenders. Despite the fact that Brook and Stokes contributed some significant runs to their team, Nathan Lyon as well as Pat Cummins both claimed four wickets to dismiss England for 273 during the second innings. 

After that, the Australian openers got off to a great start as David Warner combined with Usman Khawaja to put up a critical 61-run partnership to give the visitors a head start. However, Ollie Robinson finally broke the visitors’ resistance when he got Warner’s edge into Bairstow’s hands. Stuart Broad got two more wickets before stumps to ensure that England are still in the fight to win the first Test. Australia require 177 runs with 7 wickets in hand and rain looks unlikely on the final day of the Test match.

Fans react to England fans reminding Steve Smith of the sandpaper incident:

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