To welcome the England cricket team and their fans to Australia for The Ashes, Sportsbet has unveiled a gigantic box of tissues at Forrest Place in Perth.
The 4.5-metre-high monument celebrates the time-honoured tradition of the Poms whingeing about everything from the rules they wrote themselves, to the ball, the pitch, the umpires, the weather and, of course, the “Spirit of Cricket”.
Former Ashes hero Brad Haddin unveiled the giant tissue box yesterday, with Graeme Swann taking the first. The pair kicked off the banter by revisiting some classic Ashes moments and facing off with bat and ball themselves.
“When I heard what Sportsbet had in mind, I knew I had to be involved. If there’s one thing the Poms are known for, it’s having a good whinge. On the eve of the Ashes, anyone from England can walk down and grab a pic with this giant tissue box at any time, unless of course… they refuse to walk,” said Haddin.
“Hadds being a typical Aussie there. We don’t whinge, we just point out the rules they keep bending. It’s a brilliant stunt from Sportsbet, though. If England start the series well, a few Aussies might be the ones reaching for the tissues, commented Swann, hitting back.
The tissues feature a large but “Ultra Soft” design made by Aussies for thin-skinned Poms. Whether they’re complaining over a Bairstow brain fade, having a Stokes-sized sook, or mourning another “moral victory”, these extra-absorbent tissues are the perfect partner for every Pom this Ashes.
Alongside the installation, personalised boxes of tissues will be sent to some of England’s biggest whingers, including Piers Morgan, Kevin Pietersen and Jonny Bairstow, bringing the banter to life before the first ball is bowled.
“With a massive Barmy Army supporter base invading Perth, we thought it would be nice to welcome them with a tissue box 20,000 times the usual size to match their 140 years of moaning,” added Sportsbet executive creative director, Rambo Goraya.
Sportsbet isn’t just stopping at the Giant Tissue Box. They’ve also launched the Pommy Whinge Farm, where The Grubs harness classic Pom whingeing to fuel the summer of cricket.
“Renewable energy is a hot topic in cricket circles these days, so what better solution than using the wasted energy of whingeing Poms to power air cons and stadiums lights around the country,” concluded Goraya.
