"Cheats of the highest order" - Fans on Twitter blast England after ball change precedes Australia collapse on 5th day of Ashes 2023

The Ashes 2023 is all set for a controversial end as a ball change on Sunday was followed by an Australia collapse in the fourth innings on Monday. The visitors went from a comfortable 135/0 overnight to losing three wickets down in quick succession on Day 5.

On-field umpires Joel Wilson and Kumar Dharmasena agreed to change the 36-overs-old ball after Mark Wood hit Usman Khawaja on the helmet on Sunday. The play ended for the day just two overs after that.

However, on Monday, England picked up three wickets within 10 overs, sending back both openers and Marnus Labuschagne. All the wickets came off extravagant seam movement off the pitch, something that was just not visible on Day 4.

This prompted a conversation regarding the ball change, and the broadcasters showed photos of the 'original' and the 'new' ball. The latter (though shown from the shiny side) looked in much better condition, with a more pronounced seam.

Fans on Twitter went berserk, with the excitement perhaps only matched by the Jonny Bairstow run-out controversy. Most slammed the host players and the umpires.

Here are some of the reactions:

Generally, if a ball is damaged, its replacement must be like-for-like. But that is almost never the case.

The fourth umpire comes out with a box of balls in different conditions and the one picked by the umpire, which they think is the closest, either helps the bowler more or makes it worse for the bowling team.

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Steve Smith and Travis Head carry on after ball change controversy

David Warner was the first to go after the ball change, concluding his Ashes campaign with a well-made 60. After his 140-run partnership with Khawaja, Warner was drawn forward by a late out-swinger from Chris Woakes, which took his outside edge to Jonny Bairstow.

Khawaja was out for 72 (145) soon after, off a delivery at a similar length but moving in the opposite direction, which rapped him on the pads. Mark Wood then got rid of Marnus Labuschagne with one that straightened from outside the off-stump after being angled in.

Since then, Steve Smith and Travis Head have been battling through. The ball is still moving a lot but Head is looking to play his shots, while Smith, as always, is happy to forget the play-and-misses to keep going.