The match between England and Australia was briefly disrupted due to the invasion but resumed after the ground staff cleaned the ground
— Reuters
England wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow carried a protestor off the ground after he invaded the pitch during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s on Wednesday. A video clip of the incident shows two protestors, wearing ‘Just Stop Oil’ T-shirts, throwing orange powder on the ground. As the security rushes to the spot, Bairstow lifts one of them and carries him all the way to the boundary rope. Bairstow had to then rush to change his T-shirt.
The match between England and Australia was briefly disrupted due to the invasion but resumed after the ground staff cleaned the ground.
When Jonny Bairstow returned to the pitch, he received applause from both Australian and England cricketers.
According to Cricket Australia, another protestor had also jumped the fence before she was removed from near the boundary rope by security. The three people involved in Wednesday’s incident were later arrested and taken into custody by the Metropolitan Police for aggravated trespassing.
“MCC condemn in the strongest possible terms today’s pitch incursion and with (sic) the behaviour of the protestors involved,” Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) chief executive Guy Lavender said in a statement.
He added, “Their actions not only engender themselves and those who work at the ground, but they have consistently shown complete disregard for the people who pay to attend events, not just here at Lord’s but around the country at other sporting venues.”
Earlier this month, the International Cricket Council got two pitches prepared for the World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia at The Oval anticipating trouble from the protestors. Just Stop Oil had also stopped the English team bus in London ahead of the one-off Test against Ireland. The group had recently halted the world snooker championship and the English Premiership rugby final.
England captain Ben Stokes won the toss on Wednesday and decided to bowl at Lord’s. Australia lead the five-match series 1-0 after a nail-biting win by two wickets in Edgbaston.
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