Cricket Australia (CA) and the country's Test venues have reportedly welcomed Barmy Army trumpeter Billy Cooper to blow his trumpet in the winter Ashes, despite England banning him from one of their own Ashes Tests.
England banned Cooper and his trumpet from the Trent Bridge Test this summer due to a ban on spectators taking musical instruments into the ground, earning the fury of the fans and even the England players, who vented their spleen on Twitter.
According to News.com.au, although the classically- trained freelance trumpeter, who works with various London orchestras, also had plenty of troubles in Australia, including being thrown out of the Gabba in 2006, however, he will be welcomed this time as he has been given special dispensation to attend all five Ashes Tests.
The report mentioned that Cooper's trumpet would even get advance entry into the Gabba and other Test venues, with overzealous security to be relaxed to allow the instrument to be stashed inside the ground on the day before play.
Cooper, who is often referred to by players as England's 12th man, will form the centrepiece of English fans' efforts to unsettle Australian players over the next couple of months, the report added.
