Two Aussie players were attacked by MCC members as the fight continued in the Lord’s Long Room as well.
Lords Cricket Stadium witnessed an ugly scene both on and off the field at the end of an entertaining first session on the final day of the 2nd Ashes Test. While chasing the big target of 371 runs, England lost two quick wickets moments before lunch, with the second dismissal creating controversy. Albeit within the rules, the England crowd was left fuming as they kept chanting “Same old Aussies, always cheating”. And even though their captain Ben Stokes gave them a glimmer of hope with his fiery century, the fans were not at all happy with that dismissal of Jonny Bairstow, and they let the Australian team know. The jeers then continued in the Lord’s Long Room as well, where two Aussie players were attacked by MCC members.
When the Australia cricket team was going into the Long Room, the echoes of the boos from the crowd could be heard loud and clear. Amid that noise, a member of the MCC voiced his displeasure at Alex Carey’s smart glove work that led to Bairstow’s dismissal, and it was shown towards Australian opener Usman Khawaja. The batter then stopped on his way back to the dressing room, engaging in a heated exchange before being pulled away by security. David Warner said some words as well, and that required umpire Chris Gaffaney to intervene.
Watch the video here.
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor said, “You don’t like seeing that from the members.”
Former Test batter Callum Ferguson continued: “It’s got a little bit nasty at times. What’s coming from the crowd is quite vicious from the Australians.”
Even veteran England cricketers were not happy with the scenes inside the Long Room, as the former batsman of England, Ian Ward, said, “The crowd were right into Australia when they were on the field, and that continued as the players went through the long room.”
“Usman Khawaja was in a discussion, shall we say, with one of the members inside the long room. He was pulled away by a teammate and a steward. David Warner had the same
Former England captain Eoin Morgan said that “I’ve never seen scenes like that, particularly in the Long Room. There is a huge sense of frustration. I can’t understand why. It’s complete naivety around what has happened around Bairstow’s dismissal—he’s stumped!”
