KEY POINTS
- Anthony Albanese and his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak traded a lighthearted cricket banter on the NATO sidelines.
- Albanese pointed to Australia's current lead at the Ashes before Sunak fired back.
- Australia is not a NATO member, but was invited to the summit as part of a group of four Indo-Pacific nations.
They're there for serious security talks, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak took a moment to "sledge" each other on the sidelines of the NATO summit.
Albanese brought with him a printout highlighting Australia's 2-1 lead in the Ashes Test series. Sunak fired back, whipping out from his portfolio a picture taken after England's win on Saturday.
Albanese then said, "I was going to be really provocative", before showing a photo of the controversial moment English wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow was stumped by his Australian counterpart Alex Carey.
A laughing Sunak then said, “I’m sorry I didn’t bring my sandpaper with me", a reference to the in 2018 that led to then-captain Steve Smith and then-vice captain David Warner being banned for 12 months, and player Cameron Bancroft for nine months for using sandpaper to alter the state of the ball in the Test series in South Africa.
"Sledge-o-Rama," Sonja Terpstra, a Victorian Labor upper house MP, labelled the moment on social media.
Australia need only win at Old Trafford next week to retain the Ashes, but captain Pat Cummins' men want to be the first Australian side to win in England for two decades.
England, meanwhile, insist they can regain the urn by coming back from 2-0 down to win 3-2, which they have never previously done.
Albanese and Sunak have been in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, for a summit of the NATO military alliance.
Unlike the UK, Australia is not among NATO's 31 members but as part of a group of four Indo-Pacific nations sharing their concerns with European and other NATO partners about the global impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
NATO members invited Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea to provide insight into broader security challenges, such as China's military expansion.
Albanese is aiming to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the final day of the NATO summit on Wednesday.
However, NATO leaders have agreed on a long-term support package, deeper political ties, and further working with Ukraine on its accession, which is not expected to occur until the war is over.
Albanese said Australia would be engaged in supporting the people of Ukraine "for as long as is necessary".
