Three spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) were evicted after abusing England’s Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes on Friday. The pair helped England fight back on Day 2 with a 128-run partnership for the fifth wicket after the visitors were reduced to 36 runs for four wickets while chasing Australia’s first innings target of 416.

Amateur videos shared by the Sydney Morning Herald showed abuses being hurled from some sections of the crowd Stokes and Bairstow walked off the pitch for the Tea break amid rousing applause for the pair’s counter-attacking partnership.

“Stokes, you’re fat,” a spectator could be heard saying while Bairstow was told to take his jumper off and “lose some weight”

Stokes did not react but stopped at the top of the stairs after the remarks made to his teammate. Bairstow, however, returned some words to the abuser.

“Pal,” Bairstow could be heard saying. “That’s right. Just turn around and walk away.”

Bairstow later told reporters that he wished the spectators were there to see him walk back with a century at the end of the day.

“It would be nicer if they were there giving it when we walked off at the end, wouldn’t it?” he said. “But unfortunately, they weren’t there at the end and they missed the end of a fantastic day’s Test cricket.”

It was just a bit of bad-mouthing from the crowd and obviously it’s not the greatest and it’s not needed,” he said. “We’re out there trying to do our jobs. People are out there, enjoying the day’s cricket and unfortunately sometimes you have people overstep the mark.

“It’s important to stand up for ourselves, because if we’re not standing up for ourselves as well, then you can cop it and especially when people overstep the mark, they need to be told.”