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Alex Carey's awful revelation about family in new fallout to Ashes controversy

The Aussie wicketkeeper has lifted the lid on how his wife and children were affected.

Alex Carey, pictured here with his wife and kids.
Alex Carey's wife and kids were targeted by vile abuse. Image: Getty

Aussie cricket star Alex Carey has revealed police had to get involved after his wife and children became the target of vile abuse over his controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow in the Ashes. Carey sparked uproar in England (but nowhere else) when he stumped Bairstow after the Englishman carelessly walked out of his crease during the second Ashes Test.

Bairstow believed the ball was dead and the over had been bowled, but Carey had thrown it straight back towards the stumps after receiving it. The ball hit the stumps after Bairstow had wandered out of his crease to have a chat with partner Ben Stokes, meaning he was out because the ball had never been declared dead (and rightly so).

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But English players and fans were incensed by Carey's actions, believing they went against the spirit of the game even if the dismissal was legal under the rules. The Aussie wicketkeeper received a torrent of abuse from spectators throughout the rest of the five-Test series, including from some MCC members while the Aussie players were walking through the prestigious Lord's long room.

Alex Carey's wife and kids targeted by abuse

But speaking this week, Carey revealed how the situation took a sinister turn when his wife Eloise and their two young children became the target of abuse. “There was a lot of nasty comments that came my way, or came the family’s way, so post-incident it was pretty aggressive,” Carey told the Daily Telegraph.

“I didn’t really look into it much, I didn’t have to. I had a lot of people looking at it and monitoring it. I actually deleted Instagram for a week or so and just put the phone down and focused on being present with the family.”

Alex Carey, pictured here after dismissing Jonny Bairstow in the second Ashes Test.
Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow when he wandered out of his crease. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

In an earlier interview on 'The Project', Carey said about the aftermath to the dismissal: “A lot of booing. And I guess I was a little bit surprised with the nastiness that followed. When you’re in the moment, you know you’re doing battle against the team. You’re trying to take wickets, you’re trying to score runs, you’re trying to get a competitive score.

"We got some pretty instant feedback. It‘s one of those things where a stumping that’s given out on field is turned into a massive story. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion and absolutely respect that. And then everyone’s entitled to their opinion on the spirit of cricket as well.”

Alex Carey, pictured here with wife Eloise and daughter Rose.
Alex Carey with wife Eloise and daughter Rose. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Aussie players lift the lid on lunch room exchange with Bairstow

Earlier this week, a number of Carey's teammates lifted the lid on the frosty scenes that occurred in the lunch room at Lord's after the incident. The Australian and England players were both in the room at the same time when Bairstow saw a replay of his dismissal on a TV screen.

He turned to the Aussie players and asked "are you guys happy with that?" David Warner reportedly shot back: "Yeah, very."

Marnus Labuschagne recalled: "Jonny was steaming. Absolutely steaming. He walked into the lunch room and didn't have lunch." Usman Khawaja said: "I walked out with a couple of the English boys and they were giggling. [Bairstow] still hasn't eaten anything. He sat the whole time. I finished up and left and Jonny hadn't touched anything."

Mitch Marsh said he was struggling to contain his laughter after Warner's comment. “Remember at school when the teacher tells you off and you shouldn’t be laughing? Well, I was trying to eat my soup,” he said. “So if you can imagine, I’m eating my soup and I’m shaking like this and I’m like just trying to look down and then I look up at Jonny and I had pumpkin soup coming down my whites.”

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