David Warner and Usman Khawaja lead England to the Matildas World Cup semi-finals as they aim Ash’s jibes at the Lionesses… but FIFA’s decision will leave Aussie openers disappointed
David Warner and Usman Khawaja aimed a brutal shot at England as they threw their support behind the Matildas ahead of their World Cup semi-final.
Football has never before played a part in the rich tapestry that is the rivalry between Australia and England, normally reserved for cricket, rugby and netball.
The beautiful game will be added to the list on Wednesday night, when the Matildas take on the Lionesses in Sydney with a spot in the World Cup final on the line.
And Warner couldn’t resist digging for the old foe and wished Tony Gustavsson’s team the best of luck.
“Early luck for the Matildas. Just keep an eye out in case the Poms ask for a ball change,” the Aussie opener tweeted, tagging England’s Barmy Army support group.
The Matildas face England in the semi-finals of the World Cup in Sydney on Wednesday
David Warner could not resist a dig in England and wished the Matildas good luck
Usman Khawaja joked that England would use the Jabulani ball from the 2010 World Cup
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Khawaja replied that England would use the Jabulani ball, which was produced for the 2010 World Cup.
Warner’s message was a thinly veiled reference to the ball being changed at The Oval midway through the fourth innings of the fifth Ashes Test last month.
Warner and Khawaja had put together an unbeaten opening stand of 140 to kickstart Australia’s chase of a tricky total of 384, before the ball was substituted after 37 overs.
Referees Joel Wilson and Kumar Dharmasena believed the ball had gone out of shape after Mark Wood hit Khawaja on the helmet with a bouncer.
Significantly, the umpires’ decision was not dictated by England players asking for the ball to be changed.
England bowled just 11 more pitches after the change of ball on day four, but the replacement looked harder and glossier than its predecessor.
Chris Woakes removed both Khawaja and Warner in successive overs early on day five, before Wood removed Marnus Labuschagne.
Australia recovered to four for 264, before finally collapsing to 334 as England leveled the series.
At the end of the game, Khawaja and former Australian captain Ricky Ponting both criticized the referees for changing the ball.
“The most important thing was that ball,” said the Aussie opener.
“As soon as they changed that ball, the first time they changed that ball, I immediately knew that this ball is very different.”
Speaking on Sky Sports during the lunch break on the final day, Ponting added: ‘The main concern I have is the major discrepancy in the condition of the ball chosen to replace the ball (which had gone out of shape).
“There’s no way you can look at those two balls and say they’re similar.
Umpires Joel Wilson (left) and Kumar Dharmasena swapped the ball after 37 overs of the fourth innings of the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval last month
Khawaja (left) and Warner (right) had compiled an unbeaten opening stand of 140, but both fell to Chris Woakes in successive overs after the ball was exchanged
FIFA has unveiled a new ball for the two semi-finals and the World Cup final
“Ultimately, when you’re going to switch the ball, you want to make sure you’re doing it right.”
Unfortunately for Warner and Khawaja, however, a ball change is scheduled for the Matildas as FIFA unveiled a new ball that will be used in both the semi-finals, third place play-offs and the World Cup final.
The OCEAUNZ Final Pro features the same patterns as its predecessor used in the tournament so far, but the white panels have been replaced with shimmering orange and gold detailing.
According to FIFA, the latter are a “nod to the evening sunsets shimmering over Sydney’s skyline,” as well as the golden color of the FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy.