Australian opening batters Usman Khawaja and David Warner were pulled back by security officials present inside the famous long room at Lord’s after some members confronted them with respect to English wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow‘s dismissal on the final day of the ongoing second Ashes 2023 Test match.
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Bairstow, who was at fault for wandering on the pitch when the ball was still in play, had no one but himself to blame for getting out on the last ball of the 52nd over.
With England losing a big wicket at a crucial juncture of a 371-run chase, their fans weren’t pleased with the Aussies’ tactics despite nothing being wrong with them. While spectators present at the stands initiated the popular “Same Old Aussies” chant to unfairly accuse the visitors of “cheating”, some English fans slammed Bairstow after comprehending his silly error.
Security Pulls Back Usman Khawaja And David Warner From Lord’s Long Room Members
However, whatever happened in the long room has it in it to be registered as a novel and uncalled for incident for a venue which boasts of its gentlemanly behaviour. Returning to the dressing room for the lunch break, Khawaja and Warner didn’t ignore some comments made by members standing near a door.
While it was Khawaja who first responded to a fan, he was soon followed by his opening partner as neither of the two left-handed batters seemed to be in a mood to hear anything untoward for sticking by the laws of the game. In spite of being asked to disengage by a security official, Khawaja returned for a second bout when Warner was arguing with another member.
“Never Seen Scenes Like That” – Eoin Morgan
Former England captain Eoin Morgan, who has spent a large part of his career playing for Middlesex at this very ground, expressed shock at the sight of some members attempting to come face to face with players of a visiting team.
“I’ve never seen scenes like that particularly in the long room. Never mind all the way around the ground. It was a new sense of frustration. I can’t understand why. It’s complete naivety around what’s happened with Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal.”
Taking into consideration the importance of Bairstow’s wicket for the home team, countless numbers of boos were heard for a long time in the stadium. While all that is still acceptable, fans sitting in proximity of the players trying to pass comments is not the kind of etiquette you expect from Lord’s.
UPDATE: The Australian team management lodged an official complaint with the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) for some members “verbally abusing” and “physical contacting” a few Australian players and support staff. In response, the MCC has unreservedly apologized to the Australian team.
