A controversy-filled Ashes series took its most absurd turn yet when Cricket Australia vehemently denied suggestions that wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey walked out of a Leeds barber without paying a £30 bill.

Sir Alastair Cook, the former England captain, claimed on BBC Test Match Special that, when having a pre-Test haircut, he had got chatting with his barber.

“The barber says the Australians had been in,” Cook said. “He didn’t know his cricket very well, so he was telling me what they looked like.

“He said Marnus (Labuschagne), the funny one. Then David Warner had a haircut, Usman (Khawaja) had a haircut and he says, ‘Oh there’s another one …’

“He says, ‘One of them, I think Alex is his name’. I said, ‘Alex Carey, wicketkeeper?’

“He says, ‘He hasn’t paid’. It was one of those cash-only barbers, and he promised him he would do a transfer later on in the day.

“True story. He might have paid by now.”

The barber, Adam Mahmood of Doc Barnet’s Barber Shop, explained his version of events to the Sun.

“They all came in just before we shut,” he said. “We cut their hair and had a great laugh.

“But we don’t accept cards and Alex said he had no cash on him.

“Well, there’s a Tesco cash machine literally round the corner he could have run to. He could have nipped back to their hotel and been no more than five minutes but instead he said he would transfer it.

“Maybe he forgot. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt but if it’s not paid by Monday, I won’t be happy.”

Remarkably, the Australia camp reacted angrily to the suggestion that Carey has not paid, saying that he had not even had a haircut in Leeds and that while another player had been to the barber’s, he had paid. They said they would return with the receipt later on Saturday to clear up any confusion.

Steve Smith, the vice-captain, took to new social media platform Threads, to say: “I can confirm Alex Carey has not had a haircut since we were in London. Get your facts right The Sun.”

Carey has received a rough reception from the crowd at Leeds after stumping Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s, when the England batsman believed Cameron Green’s over to be complete and the ball therefore dead. The Western Terrace rang loudly with chants of “Shoes off if you hate Carey” when he came out to bat on day one.

The BBC has been contacted for comment.

The Daily Telegraph in London