London: Jonny Bairstow tackled and carried off one of two Just Stop Oil protesters who ran onto the field of play at Lord’s in extraordinary scenes after the first over of the second Ashes Test.
The protesters, carrying orange powder, made for the centre of Lord’s but were stopped by a combination of Bairstow and security before they got there. David Warner and England’s captain Ben Stokes also shaped to block the protesters from damaging the pitch before they were overpowered.
Cricket has a higher risk factor for such disruptions because of the ease with which protestors can damage the surface and potentially cause long delays or even the end of a game. The International Cricket Council had a reserve pitch prepared for the World Test Championship final at the Oval earlier this month for that reason.
“For me and ‘Stokesy’ we didn’t really know what to do,” Warner said. “We’d been warned before it happened, and in that instance for us we want to protect our wicket – we saw that in the billiards a month or so ago and just wanted to protect the wicket.
“It’s a touchy situation, you don’t want to be involved in that, but for us it was about stopping them getting onto the wicket, and it was quite confronting, because you don’t know what to do in that situation. Usually you just let the people run their course, but because they could damage the wicket, we felt we had to try to intervene ... just worried about that chalk.”
Bairstow’s bold move was roundly applauded by the Lord’s crowd, but also recalled the desperate moment during a Perth Ashes Test in 1982, when Terry Alderman dislocated his shoulder while trying to tackle a pitch invader.
Jonny Bairstow tackles the protestor. Credit: Getty
“We were actually told to stand away and just be careful,” Warner said of the advice the team had been given. “But we know what they’re trying to do to the wicket ... I don’t know what that chalk does, but there would have been a long delay.”
Ground staff came out onto the field to clean up the powder that did make it to the ground, and play was delayed by around five minutes as Bairstow left the field to change his shirt and gloves.
Just Stop Oil protesters have struck numerous events in the past few months, such as the World Snooker Championship, the Rugby Premiership final at Twickenham, and numerous English Premier League matches.
Cricket was also targeted last month when the England team bus’ departure for Lord’s was delayed before play in the one-off Test against Ireland.
Ben Stokes of England and David Warner of Australia attempt to stop a “Just Stop Oil” protester.Credit: Getty
A third protester was stopped by stewards before they were able to make it onto the field, having emerged from the eastern side of the ground. All three were subsequently arrested by London’s Metropolitan Police.
“I think I heard Jonny shouting ‘no’ and then I saw him running after him,” England seamer Josh Tongue said. “What he did was obviously a good thing because if they’d put the powder on the wicket who knows where the game would be now.”
Bairstow even received praise from as high up as the British prime minister’s office. An official spokesman for Rishi Sunak said: “The Prime Minister is pleased play was able to resume quickly and thanks security staff, the swift hands of Jonny Bairstow and other England players who stepped in”.
Broadcasters largely chose not to highlight the incident, but Ricky Ponting couldn’t resist a jokey reference to Bairstow’s first-Test wicketkeeping woes.
“I didn’t want to say anything, but the one chance that’s come Jonny’s way, he’s held on to so far,” the former Australian captain said on Sky Sports.
Australia’s players had been briefed by the ECB on the possibility of Just Stop Oil protests before the series. Guy Lavender, chief executive of the Marylebone Cricket Club that oversees Lord’s, decried the actions of the protesters.
“MCC condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s pitch incursion and with the behaviour of the protesters involved,” he said.
“Their actions not only endanger 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.”
Australian captain Pat Cummins, who has been vocal in his push for action against climate change, had pleaded with protesters not to target pitches at the start of the tour.
“My view is always just there’s right ways to go about things and potentially not the right way to go about things,” Cummins said.
“Whenever anyone’s got any beliefs, you just hope you take the right option.”
In 1975, a group protesting the imprisonment of George Davis, convicted of armed robbery, forced the abandonment of an Ashes Test match at Headingley by digging holes in the pitch.
Somewhat ironically given the nature of the protest at Lord’s on Wednesday, the 1975 demonstrators also damaged the surface by pouring oil onto it.
with AAP
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