While Steve Smith had a bit of a quiet 3rd Ashes 2023 Test at Headingley with the bat- in his 100th Test, he managed scores of 22 and 2 – he was quick to jump to defend his teammate, wicket-keeper Alex Carey, who is accused of not paying for his haircut by a barber in Leeds.
This story came out of nowhere. And, without much surprise, it was published by UK’s The Sun newspaper and media house which is notoriously known for its controversial reports.
The Sun labeled Alex Carey as the “Ashes Villian”, alleging that he had had a haircut at the Doc Barnet’s Barber Shop in Leeds, and had gone there with teammates David Warner and Usman Khawaja. The interview with the barber was published during the ongoing Test in Headingley.
The Sun carried out a hard-hitting headline, as they usually do, which caught the attention of Steve Smith, who took it to the new ‘Threads’ social media platform to confirm that Carey didn’t get any haircut at the shop, and in fact he hasn’t got a haircut since they were in London for the second Test at Lord’s.
Here, check out Steve Smith’s defense of Alex Carey to English media’s accusation:
The term “Ashes Villian” perhaps caught Steve Smith’s eye even more than the accusation of not paying the barber. Carey has been copping from all corners in the English media for his running out of Bairstow in the Lord’s Test, which Australia won narrowly.
Further, in the interview, barber Adam Mahmood alleged that Alex Carey didn’t have any cash with him and left the shop without paying. He said he’s expecting Carey to pay him by Monday.
This is how barber Adam Mahmood narrated the story and it’s published in The Sun newspaper.
“I’m still waiting,” Mahmood said. “They all came in just before we shut. We cut their hair and had a great laugh. But we don’t accept cards and Alex said he had no cash on him. Well, there’s a Tesco cash machine literally round the corner he could have run to.”
“Maybe he forgot. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt but if it’s not paid by Monday, I won’t be happy,” Mahmood concluded.
