Whingeing Piers Morgan branded as a hypocritical flog by Merv Hughes after claiming there has never been ‘a less-deserved retention of the Ashes’ in ‘irrational rant’ following draw at Old Trafford
Cricket icon Merv Hughes has labeled Piers Morgan a hypocritical ‘flog’ for the outspoken Englishman’s ‘irrational diatribe’ after Australia kept the Ashes thanks to the rain.
After the Fourth Test at Old Trafford was washed out after two days of heavy rain, Australia kept the famous urn, as they won the 2021-22 series Down Under 4-0.
It has been one of the most dramatic series in recent history; from Jonny Bairstow’s controversial stumping to Pat Cummins’ batting heroics to win the first Test and the ‘Bazball’ revolution.
And throughout it all, Morgan has been one of the loudest voices, deceiving and blowing up Aussie players about their behavior on and off the pitch.
It has drawn fierce criticism from Australia and cricket figures, with Hughes previously calling him an ‘idiot’ and a ‘flog’ for his outspoken views on Bairstow’s perfectly legal dismissal.
Piers Morgan has slammed for his reaction to Australia keeping the Ashes, labeled a hypocrite for his ‘irrational diatribe’
Pat Cummins and the Aussies retained the Ashes after winning the first two Tests and seeing the fourth drawn
Merv Hughes (centre) rings the bell at Lords ahead of the second Test. He has targeted Morgan and called him a hypocritical whip
As expected, that escalated tenfold when it was confirmed that Australia would retain the Ashes, with Old Trafford looking more like a swimming pool than a cricket ground.
‘For God sake. Has there ever been a less deserved retention of the Ashes? From the Bairstow debacle to this rain-soaked fiasco, it’s an absolute farce that grinning Australians still hold the urn in their hands. England were by far the better side, as this test showed. Strip,” Morgan wrote on social media.
He then took aim at betting company Sportsbet’s post calling the field cover a tissue to him, calling it ‘graceful’ before saying England had been ‘robbed’.
‘Never been prouder of English cricket than under this man. What a captain, what a style of cricket he has cultivated. Thank you Ben Stokes, we may have been robbed of the Ashes but the entertainment you’ve given us has been incredible,” said Morgan.
Morgan eventually conceded defeat, admitting that he would be ‘custered to a miserable death without Ashes’ by Aussies – and boy, had Hughes not taken aim.
The cult hero, who played 53 Tests for Australia, reminded Morgan that he had celebrated exactly 10 years since England kept the Ashes in exactly the same way: rain.
“Short flash of memory!” Hughes tweeted and shared a screenshot of Morgan’s post in 2013 celebrating the rain that ensured England keep the urn after a hard-fought run.
Australian cult hero Hughes again branded Morgan a whip and called out his hypocrisy
Many pointed to the hypocrisy of Morgan, but also of England star Stuart Broad, who had previously told the Daily Mail that it would be “unjust” for Australia to keep the Ashes because of the rain.
In 2013, when Morgan had expressed his delight at the rain to secure the Ashes for England, Broad, who called Australia’s 2021-22 series that the Poms were ’empty’ 4-0 due to Covid, also wrote of his happiness: ‘We kept the Ashes and it feels great!’
Hughes was not alone in condemning Morgan’s backlash, with thousands of pundits, fans and sports figures also criticizing the controversial Englishman.
AFL great Graham Cornes told Morgan to “suck it up” after his “irrational tirade.”
There was a time when I sympathized with Piers Morgan facing Brett Lee who crossed the line throwing bouncers at him in the nets. But this message? Another irrational diatribe. In sports you get what you deserve. Suck it up,” the Crows legend wrote on social media.
Top comedian Andy Lee also joined in, slamming the controversial star: “I don’t think you (Morgan) have the ability to be ashamed given the history of things you’ve said.”
Pat Cummins (left) in the rain at Old Trafford after Australia retained the Ashes after the Fourth Test match
Morgan still wasn’t ready.
Cummins admitted Australia will not celebrate retaining the Ashes after they were completely outplayed in the opening three days before heavy rains left cricket almost unplayable in the last two days.
“It’s a bit strange,” he said after the game.
‘As a group [we’re] proud to have kept the Ashes, but it’s off the back of not our best week. It feels like it’s good to keep the Ashes, but we know we have quite a bit of work to do over the next week.
“I don’t think there will be any big parties. Maybe a pat on the back for keeping the [Ashes]. A lot of work has been done to put us in a position where we keep the Ashes in a draw. But a test match starts in three days, so we will concentrate fully on that.’
And Morgan didn’t like hearing the Aussie skipper’s comments.
‘Nothing, Sherlock. I’d be too embarrassed to even talk to the media if I held the Ashes in such a nasty way,” he ranted on Twitter.
Fans and cricket figures were quick to condemn his hypocrisy, once again, with one even suggesting that the Fifth Test be wiped out thanks to ‘salty’ England tears.
One thing is certain, even when the drama has ended, eventually the Wikipedia and Cricinfo pages will read that Australia kept the urn in England in 2023, regardless of what Morgan says.