Ben Stokes and Mitchell Johnson have traded barbs on social media after the former Australian paceman mocked the English side for opting not to shake hands on their tour of Sri Lanka due to the coronavirus.
Before England set off for their two-Test tour, captain Joe Root acknowledged the team would not be shaking hands with their opponents during their time on the field.
Instead, Root said his side will exchange fist bumps with the Sri Lankans sparking a reaction from Johnson online.
In a post on Instagram, the former Australian fast bowler made fun of the news, claiming it was a "p--- take", while also making light of Ben Stokes' legal troubles, where the all-rounder was charged by police after a street brawl before being acquitted.
Johnson wrote: "Is this a p--- take? You can jam your fist pump England hahahaha just be careful though, Stokesy might react with a sucker punch."
Stokes chimed in and hit back at Johnson, pointing to the quick's dismal performance in the 2009 Ashes series by referencing a chant made famous by England fans.
Stokes responded with a tweet: "Bowls to the left bowls to the right I wonder if big bad Mitch likes Marmite."
While some have taken exception to how England plan on combating the virus, Root said his side has fallen victim to the flu several times during officials tours.
"After the illnesses that swept through the squad in South Africa, we are well aware of the importance of keeping contact to a minimum and we've been given some really sound and sensible advice from our medical team to help prevent spreading germs and bacteria," Root said.
"We are not shaking hands with each other, using instead the well-established fist bump, and we are washing hands regularly and wiping down surfaces using the anti-bacterial wipes and gels we've been given in our immunity packs.
"There is no suggestion that the tour will be affected, but of course it is an evolving situation so we are in regular contact with the authorities and will proceed as advised, but at this stage we fully expect the tour to continue as planned."
Elsewhere, players in England's Premier League will forgo the traditional pre-game handshake between opponents as a measure to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus, the league said on Thursday.
"The Premier League fair-play handshake will not take place between players and match officials from this weekend until further notice based on medical advice," a statement said.
"Coronavirus is spread via droplets from the nose and mouth and can be transmitted on to the hands and passed on via a handshake."
Officials will carry out the rest of the league's normal walk-out protocol before each match and both teams will line up as usual, but players will walk post their opponents without shaking hands.
Clubs in English soccer's top division including Newcastle, Southampton, West Ham and Wolves have banned handshakes at training sessions and other European clubs have taken similar measures to prevent spreading the virus.
from WWOS http://wwos.nine.com.au/cricket/cricket-ben-stokes-hits-back-at-mitchell-johnson-sledge/c0385084-174d-4377-80dd-50b0cbad78d2
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