‘There’s no need for silly and immature behaviour’: Shane Warne in Twitter row with former England star Matt Prior after he taunted his old rival Nathan Lyon for missing run-out that cost Australia the third Ashes Test
- Matt Prior mocked Nathan Lyon on Twitter after England’s win at Headingley
- Lyon missed a chance to run out Jack Leach and win the Ashes for Australia
- Aussie spinner made incendiary comments about England players in 2017
- He claimed Prior ‘wanted to go home’ before third Test of 2013-14 series
Shane Warne has slammed former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior as ‘silly and immature’ for teasing Nathan Lyon after Ben Stokes’ Headingley heroics.
Australian spinner Lyon missed a run-out of Jack Leach and had a plumb lbw appeal against Stokes turned down as England secured an astonishing one-wicket victory to keep the Ashes alive.
Prior took great relish in Lyon’s misfortune, tweeting: ‘Nathan Lyon #mothercricket #sleepwell’ after the game.
Nathan Lyon fumbled the ball while Jack Leach was out of his ground in the third Test
Lyon’s fumble cost Australia the Ashes as Ben Stokes rescued victory for England
But Aussie legend Warne leapt to the defence of his compatriot, calling Prior ‘childish’.
He tweeted: ‘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 and the Ashes please!’
He added later: ‘It’s ridiculous all these cheap shots, just unnecessary! I’m all for banter and fun. I gave it and took it. But this is just ridiculous and childish from Matt Prior’.
To which Prior responded, ‘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…’
Prior then said ‘comments made were always going to bite back as we all know’, before showing a screenshot of incendiary comments made by Lyon in the buildup to England’s tour of Australia in 2017.
Lyon had said ahead of the tour down under that the Aussies would be looking to ‘end careers’ of England players, and even singled out Prior, who had retired in 2014.
The spinner said, referencing England’s whitewash defeat in 2013-14: ‘Matt Prior wanted to fly home before the third Test in Perth and he was one of their senior players. He was scared. It was four years ago. I think he’s all right now.’
Prior was dropped after the third Test and played only four more times for England before retiring.
Matt Prior made a jibe at Lyon after his comments about England players back in 2017
Shane Warne (centre) has called Prior ‘silly and immature’ for sending the tweet