Ashes 2019: Shane Warne in online spat with Matt Prior and Chris Adams over Nathan Lyon jibe

Shane Warne‘s latest barbs with English cricketers has seen the Australian spin legend reply to former Test wicketkeeper Matt Prior over comments on Nathan Lyon‘s failure to collect the throw that could have won the tourists the third Ashes Test at Leeds on Sunday.

Lyon, Australia’s third-highest wicket-taker in Tests, fumbled a throw from Pat Cummins to allow England’s last man Jack Leach a life as the Headingley Test drew to a frenetic close. In the next over, Leach scampered the single that levelled the scores and off the next delivery, Ben Stokes punched a four into the off side to seal a record chase of 359.

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With this scarcely believable one-wicket win, England levelled the Ashes at 1-1.

(READ: Lyon will feel terrible, up to his team-mates to get him up: Ricky Ponting)

Lyon’s miss at the nonstriker’s end indeed proved a huge miss for Australia, and Prior took to twitter to post the words ‘Nathan Lyon’ followed by a wide-eyed emoji and the hashtags #mothercricket and #sleepwell.

Nathan Lyon  #mothercricket #sleepwell

— Matt Prior (@MattPrior13) August 25, 2019

This tweet was not well received by Warne, who replied to Prior: “Just because Lyon knocked you over for fun, there’s still no need for that kind of silly and immature behaviour. Grow up, and enough of those stupid comments. Let’s celebrate the wonderful game of test cricket & the Ashes please !”

Excuse me? Just because Lyon knocked you over for fun, there’s still no need for that kind of silly and immature behaviour. Grow up, and enough of those stupid comments. Let’s celebrate the wonderful game of test cricket & the Ashes please ! https://t.co/lxaLjISJzY

— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) August 26, 2019

Warne, Australia’s all-time leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, then trained his fingers towards former England player Chris Adams, who had supported Prior’s comments.

Chris, you were nothing but a club cricketer ! So don’t even bore us with your dribble as no one is interested or cares in what you have to say ! Pipe down….. https://t.co/eVKUeGqcuu

— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) August 26, 2019

The verbal jousts did not stop there. Warne then posted a new tweet in which he termed Prior and Adams “childish” while saying that cricket’s fraternity should be celebrating the Ashes and Stokes’ exceptional hundred instead of taking “cheap shots”.

(READ: ‘I f****** love Test match cricket’ tweets Headingley hero Stokes)

To which Prior replied …

Now it’s silly, immature and childish? Jeez you guys have short memories! I don’t think you can pick and choose when to hide behind “it’s just banter” and then decide it’s now childish and immature. Anyway as you say moving on…

— Matt Prior (@MattPrior13) August 26, 2019

Prior and Lyon have history together. During the 2013-14 Ashes in Australia, which saw England blanked 0-5, Lyon had passed judgement that Prior was “scared” about facing Australia’s fast bowlers and thus flew home from the tour.

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In 2017, Lyon had revisited those comments by saying: “It was an unbelievable feeling knowing that they were broken. Leading into Perth we knew that they were, we knew Matt Prior wanted to fly home before the game started and he was one of the senior players. He was scared. It’s four years ago. I think he’s all right now.”

In reply, Prior had tweeted to Lyon in 2017 that the offspinner should be worried about his career ending.