It may have happened more than two years ago.
But the controversial 2023 Jonny Bairstow stumping at Lords continues to ignite Ashes tensions with a senior member of England’s Barmy Army delivering a devastating critique of Australian creativity—and specifically a Cricket Australia sanctioned-advertisement being used to promote the current Aussie summer of cricket.
Set to the Hunters & Collectors classic song ‘Do you see what I see?’ The ad in question features two seconds of highly offensive footage showing the now-infamous Bairstow stumping, accompanied by a short and deeply insensitive comment from the man responsible for it, Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who quips ‘It’s the chaos’.
How dare he, right?
While just a tiny part of a wider advertisement that highlights a variety of moments from the 2023 Ashes series in England, it’s clear that not everyone is happy about the Bairstow reference with fears a full-blown diplomatic incident could follow.
Towards the top of that list is a positively frothing Tony Emmerson who is overseeing the Melbourne and Sydney groups of the Barmy Army during the 2025-26 Ashes Series.
“I just think it’s not very creative,” an outraged Emmerson told The Age, his facial veins bulging as he spoke.
“I’m sure they could’ve come up with something a little bit more creative or thought-provoking.”
Really Tony, tell us more?
“It goes to the creativity the Australians put into writing their songs – ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!’” he added in an epic smackdown plunging deep into the beating heart of Australian cultural identity.
Despite Emmerson’s savage and hurtful critique of Antipodean creativity, Cricket Australia itself hasn’t seem too concerned.
“The advertisement, which has run on various platforms for three months, includes, in a respectful manner, a dramatic and oft-replayed moment that exemplifies the heightened intensity of the Ashes rivalry,” Cricket Australia replied through a spokesperson.
“We’re really pleased with the response to our Ashes marketing campaign, which has contributed strongly to the enormous crowds and viewing audiences for the series so far.”
How Pat Cummins and the Australian squad overcomes such brutal criticism leading into the remainder of the Ashes Series remains unclear.