It was during the Adelaide Test of 1932-3 that the war of words between Australia and England exploded over the use of Bodyline. This time the verbal exchange of bouncers heated up long before a ball was bowled in the second Test.
Steve Smith targeted James Anderson for his column in the Telegraph which more than implied - explicitly stated - that Australian players are bullies. “A bully waits until they are in the ascendancy to pounce on people,” Anderson wrote. “That is what Australian teams do.”
“It was a deliberate ploy to say things close to the stump mics so it would be picked up by the media,” Anderson went on. “We knew what they were up to. That is fine, we just leave them to it. We are not interested in getting involved in any verbal battle or slanging match with them.”
Normally international cricketers say they do not read newspaper articles (even if they have). Smith said that he had read Anderson’s column and responded with a bouncer. “It’s interesting coming from Jimmy, calling us bullies and big sledgers,” Smith said. “I think he’s one of the biggest sledgers in the game to be perfectly honest with you. To me, in particular. I remember back to 2010 when I first started and wasn’t any good and he was pretty happy to get stuck into me then, so, yeah, interesting coming from Jimmy.”