Australia will play first game at Lord's year after infamous 'cheat row'

Australia will take on England in the fourth ODI at the Lord’s Stadium on September 27. This will be the first time, Australia will be back at Lord’s after the ‘cheat’ row during the Ashes 2023. For the unversed, Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey had caught Jonny Bairstow off-guard and stumped him when the batter was on the move after the ball. The incident did not sit well with Lord’s audience and the spectators cried foul and called the cricketers cheaters.

After one year, the Australian team will have to walk through the same staircase and Mitchell Marsh has termed the infamous incident bygone as well as part and parcel of the Ashes trophy. Ahead of the fourth ODI, Marylebone Cricket Club has taken stringent actions for the pavilion arrangements. Other than this, ropes in the revered Long Room that separate the MCC members and the players have been pushed back.

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“These things happen in Ashes Test matches. There’s not an Ashes series that goes by that doesn’t have some sort of drama. But we’re just rapt to be back here,” said Mitch Marsh as quoted by Yahoo Sports.

“There hasn’t been [much talk about it among the players]. We’ve really moved on from that. There’s always excitement playing at Lord’s. It’s the greatest ground in the world – bar the Waca of course – with all the history and the tradition. Not many of the blokes are training today. I think they just came in for the lunch,” he added.

Australia are leading the five-match Test series by 2-1 and the hosts will aim to bounce back in the fourth ODI to level the series. If England manage to fetch a win at Lord’s, the fifth ODI at the Seat Unique Stadium in Bristol will be a decider.