Ashes wine advert jokes about England’s opening batsmen

  • Advert for Hardy’s wine joked about England’s seeming lack of opening batsmen
  • The joke appeared at the MCG while Alastair was on his way to his amazing 244*
  • Former England player James Taylor pointed out the juxtaposition on Twitter 

A wine advert at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was made to look rather silly after its joke about England’s lack of opening batsman was played alongside Alastair Cook’s double century.

The Hardys Wine advert appeared on the scoreboard between overs and read: ‘Why can’t the Poms open a bottle of wine? Because they don’t have any openers.’ 

Australia have every right to start bragging after their Ashes series victory, but former England international James Taylor was keen to expose the poor timing of the advert and shared it on social media.

Former England cricketer James Taylor noticed the juxtaposed advert and Ashes scoreboard 

Former England cricketer James Taylor noticed the juxtaposed advert and Ashes scoreboard 

England's Instagram account posted a picture of Alastair Cook from inside the dressing room

England’s Instagram account posted a picture of Alastair Cook from inside the dressing room

Taylor posted a snapshot of the advert and painted on his own arrow to point towards Cook’s name on the scoreboard, which read 206 not out at the time. The former England captain went on to make 244 not out before the close of play.

Cook’s double century was a big moment for himself and the England team as a whole, but it came too late to salvage what has been a very disappointing Ashes series thus far.

Former captain Cook finished day three of the fourth Ashes Test unbeaten on 244 at the MCG

Former captain Cook finished day three of the fourth Ashes Test unbeaten on 244 at the MCG

Currently leading by 164 runs with one wicket remaining, England are in a good position to win the fourth Test in Melbourne, but they are playing for nothing but pride after losing the first three in emphatic fashion.

Still, Cook has silenced many of his critics, including Hardys Wine, and may have alleviated pressure on the selectors to perhaps think about replacing him long-term after this Ashes series has reached its conclusion. 

Cook will resume batting alongside the 11th man James Anderson looking to break the 250 mark for only the third time in his Test career. He still requires another 51 to beat his all-time best of 294 and another 44 runs to reach the 12,000 mark in Test cricket, becoming only the sixth person to surpass it. 

The England opener was in full flow as he belatedly found his form on this Ashes tour

The England opener was in full flow as he belatedly found his form on this Ashes tour



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