The namesakes of Australia’s cricket stars have found themselves receiving a barrage of unsolicited messages on social media.

Tim Payne, a rugby coach from the north of England, has copped the brunt of the sledging on Twitter, despite the slightly different spelling.

He told Jim Wilson his notifications have “gone pretty crazy” since the Test series started, with Aussies calling on him to quit the captaincy and Indian fans celebrating their victory.

“I just play along with it,” he said.

“Steve Smith did contact me, and I found that quite funny … the alias Steve Smith!”

Click PLAY below to hear the full story

Image: Getty