Three Australian fans were thrown out of
the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for verbally abusing England batters Jonny
Bairstow and Ben Stokes during day 3 of the ongoing fourth Ashes Test on
Friday. Bairstow, who was unbeaten on 103 at stumps, said it would have been
nice if supporters who abused him were still there at the ground after the
stumps on Friday.

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Video footage, obtained by The Age and
the Herald from another fan, who attended the game, shows Bairstow and Stokes
are being ridiculed for their body shape by at least one fan as they walk up to
the pavilion after the day’s play ended. “Stokes, you’re fat,” a fan
said. “Take your jumper off, Bairstow, lose some weight Bairstow,”
the England batter was told.

Bairstow retorted saying “Pal, that’s
right just turn around and walk away,” before three fans were taken out of
the ground by security personnel.

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On the third day of the Sydney Test,
Bairstow became the first England cricketer of this Australia tour to score a
hundred as he and Stokes, who scored 66, powered England’s recovery. However,
on Saturday as Bairstow fell for 113, England were bowled out for 294.
Australia took 122 runs first-innings lead.

Asked about his exchanges with a spectator,
Bairstow said, “It was a bit of bad-mouthing. It’s not needed. We’re out
there trying to do our jobs, people are there enjoying the cricket.
Unfortunately, sometimes people overstep the mark.”

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“I think it is important to stand up
for ourselves because if we are not standing up for ourselves, you can cop it.
When people overstep the mark, they need to be told. It’d have been nicer if we
were there giving it when we walked off at the end, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately,
they weren’t there at the end, they missed the end of a fantastic day of Test
cricket,” he added.

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In January 2021, India’s Mohammed Siraj
alleged the Sydney crowd of racially abusing him. After he spoke to the
on-field umpires, six spectators were removed from the SCG.