The first morning of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s was briefly disrupted by two climate change protesters from the activist group Just Stop Oil, who invaded the pitch carrying orange powder paint but were prevented from reaching the strip by players and security staff.
MCC groundstaff swept up and blew off the powder paint that had spilled on the outfield, while Bairstow ran to the dressing room to change into a fresh set of whites. Play was delayed by around six minutes in total.
Just Stop Oil, a coalition of environmental action groups, have disrupted several high-profile sporting events in the UK over the past 18 months including Premier League football matches, the final of rugby union’s Premiership and the World Snooker Championship.
Cricket had been bracing for its first exposure to the group. Curators at the Kia Oval created a backup pitch for the World Test Championship final on the off-chance protests were able to tamper with the pitch. Ahead of the Ireland Test match at the start of June, the MCC stepped up security fearing they would be targeted. While no one entered the field during the match, protestors held up the England team bus on its way to Lord’s for the first morning.
More to follow…
Source: ESPN Crickinfo