In remarkable scenes at Lord's during day five of the second Ashes Test, Australia pair David Warner and Usman Khawaja appeared to remonstrate with spectators in the Long Room as they returned to the dressing room for lunch
Thursday 6 July 2023 18:36, UK
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has written to its members asking for help in identifying the culprits who "brought shame" on the club following altercations with Australian players during the second Ashes Test at Lord's last week.
The MCC has already suspended three members after Cricket Australia reported "several incidents involving spectators in the members area" following alleged abuse of players during lunch on day five of the Test.
MCC chair Bruce Carnegie-Brown has set out a list of new protocols to be implemented immediately, including restricting access to its members inside the Lord's pavilion following the unseemly scenes that unfolded.
These include expanding the roped-off area where players walk through as they make their way from the dressing room to the pitch and back again, while members will be prohibited from using the stairwell when the teams are coming on and off the field and must either wait at the ground or top floor level.
Carnegie-Brown also called upon members to police one another's behaviour, as well as reacquaint themselves with the organisation's code of conduct.
In remarkable scenes at the Lord's Test, Australia pair David Warner and Usman Khawaja appeared to remonstrate with spectators in the Long Room as they returned to the dressing room for lunch on day five.
Khawaja branded what occurred "disrespectful", while Australia captain Pat Cummins felt his side experienced "aggressive and abusive" behaviour, prompting the MCC to apologise "unreservedly".
After Cricket Australia called for an investigation, a statement was been released by the MCC, stating: "MCC can confirm it has suspended three members identified from earlier today.
"They will not be permitted back to Lord's whilst the investigation takes place and were informed of this by MCC chief executive, Guy Lavender, this evening.
"We maintain that the behaviour of a small number of members was completely unacceptable and whilst there was no suggestion by Pat Cummins in the post-match press conference that there was any physical altercation, it remains wholly unacceptable to behave in such a way, which goes against the values of the club.
"MCC condemns the behaviour witnessed and once again we re-iterate our apology to Cricket Australia. We are thoroughly disappointed to be talking about poor behaviour when the Long Room, as stated by Pat Cummins himself, is otherwise renowned for being "really welcoming". It has been a thrilling day to finish off a wonderful five days of Test cricket."
Speaking after Australia's 43-run victory, captain Pat Cummins said: "The MCC came and apologised for the behaviour of some of the members. I think some of them might lose their membership over the way they behaved.
"Other than that one time, they were fantastic all week. The members here are normally fantastic and really welcoming.
"Something special about playing at Lord's is you feel like you're at a really special place surrounded by people who just share a love of the game."
Earlier in the day, an MCC spokesperson had said: "The Long Room is unique in world cricket and the great privilege of players passing through the Pavilion is very special. After this morning's play, emotions were running high, and words were unfortunately exchanged with some of the Australian team, by a small number of members.
"We have unreservedly apologised to the Australian Team and will deal with any member who has not maintained the standard we expect through our disciplinary processes. It was not necessary to eject anyone from the ground and I am pleased to say that there was no repeat of this as the players resumed the field for this afternoon's session."
The scenes all stemmed from the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow, with wicketkeeper Alex Carey throwing the ball at the stumps as Bairstow walked out of his crease.
England felt the decision was harsh, assuming that the ball was dead. Tempers frayed in the aftermath, with Bairstow very unhappy as he left the pitch, with several other players seen arguing before the teams left the field of play for lunch.
