Cricket Australia's (CA) provocative Ashes advertisement, "Don't forget to pack the urn", featuring holographic images of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke on the historic Big Ben, has backfired as the Westminster city council has threatened legal action.

"The Palace of Westminster is part of a Unesco world heritage site, and it's both inappropriate and insulting for this important location and its buildings to effectively be abused in this manner. It's also a criminal offence," Westminster city council's deputy leader, councillor Robert Davis was quoted as saying by The Guardian.