Three fans belonging to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) have been suspended following clashes with Australian players during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s. The MCC, which owns the ground, deemed the behaviour of the fans as “unacceptable.” Australia went on to secure a 43-run victory in the match.
The incident occurred during the lunch break when Australian players walked through the Long Room of the stadium and engaged in a heated exchange of words with several Lord’s members. Usman Khawaja and David Warner responded to criticism from the crowd before being separated from them by match officials.
An MCC spokesperson confirmed that the three members involved were notified of their suspensions by MCC chief executive, Guy Lavender, on Sunday evening. The club released a statement expressing their condemnation of the behaviour and reiterated their apology to Cricket Australia. The statement emphasized the club’s commitment to its values and emphasized that such conduct was not acceptable.
Despite the incident, the MCC highlighted the welcoming atmosphere of the Long Room and expressed disappointment at the poor behaviour displayed by a few individuals. They praised the thrilling conclusion of the Test match, which had been enjoyed by cricket enthusiasts over the course of five days.
The clash with the Australian players came after the controversial stumping of England’s Jonny Bairstow, which resulted in chants of “same old Aussies, always cheating” from the home crowd. Bairstow had ducked under a bouncing delivery, thinking the ball was dead, only to be run out by wicketkeeper Alex Carey, leading to accusations of unsportsmanlike conduct.
