have found themselves on the receiving end of a spying controversy after a training session ahead of their semi-final against Australia was photographed from a helicopter.
The Australian Daily Telegraph sent up the aircraft to capture images from the Lionesses’ behind-closed-doors session at their training base as they finalised plans for Wednesday’s last-four clash with the co-hosts in Sydney.
Published under the headline ‘Eleven Poms against a nation: Welcome to the jungle, Lionesses’, the pictures show boss Sarina Wiegman and her staff putting the players through their paces ahead of the eagerly-anticipated contest.
The newspaper wrote: ‘If England’s Lionesses thought they would happily fly into the World Cup semi-final under the radar they were in for a rude shock.
‘We’ve sent the chopper up to see how the old enemy are preparing…Welcome to the jungle, Lionesses, we’ve got fun and games.’
It added: ‘It might not be in the spirit of football, but after last month’s men’s Ashes cricket series we will let the moral arbiters England pass judgment on what is and isn’t acceptable in the world of sport.’
The Association has declined to comment on the incident.
The European champions are assured of a hostile welcome at a sold-out Stadium Australia as they attempt to end the Matildas’ dream of World Cup glory on home soil.
Their exploits have galvanised a nation which revels in its sporting rivalry with England and is still in celebratory mood having already retained the Ashes and won the Netball World Cup at the expense the old enemy this summer.
Wiegman and her players have brushed aside that element of the fixture, although back at home, memories of Alex Carey’s controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow in the second Test at Lord’s, which prompted booing and chants of ‘Same old Aussies, always cheating’ throughout the remainder of the series, are still fresh in the collective mind.
Australia opener David Warner, meanwhile, has taken a cheeky dig at England ahead of the semi-final.
Veteran Warner and his teammates were unhappy when the ball was changed mid-innings during England’s victory in the fifth Ashes Test last month.
It is something Warner clearly has not forgotten as he wished Australia good luck ahead of the semi-final clash.
He wrote on Twitter: ‘An early good luck to the The Matildas. Just keep an eye out in case the Poms ask to change the ball.’
Fellow batsman Usman Khawaja also chipped in, tweeting: ‘They going to go with the 2010 ‘Jubulani’ ball.’
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