File photo of Steve Smith© AFP
The 2023 Ashes was undoubtedly one of themost exciting cricketing contests to have been held in recent times. After losing the first two Tests, England proudced a remarkable turnaround to win draw the series 2-2. But, what happened after the conclusion of the series left a bitter taste in the mouths of fans. England and Australian players were to have beers at the Oval but the plan had to be postponed as the host players didn’t come out of their dressing room hours.
The England team was criticised for their post-match antics, prompting skipper Ben Stokes to even issue a clarification. Now, Australia’s stalwart Steve Smith has broken his silence on the matter, revealing what really happened that day.
“We did knock on the door a couple of times. We were waiting around a while and Stokesy came out at one point and said ‘two minutes’ and about an hour passed,” Smith told SEN 1170’s The Run Home.
“We thought, ‘we can’t keep sitting here. Are we going to have a beer or not’? The guys got a bit fed up and decided it was time to go.
“It was unfortunate, it was the first time in my career that we’ve not had a drink with them after a series and it was a bit of a shame.
Stokes did reveal that the England player got caught up on some of the work which took longer than expected. However, he did announce the plan to have beers with Australian players at a nightclub later on. But, Smith couldn’t be a part of that gathering.
“They caught up with a few of the boys in the nightclub later on that night, I had gone home by that stage, but it was a shame not to have a beer and reflect on what was a pretty cool series,” he said.
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