On the fifth day of the second Test, there was an argument between MCC members and Usman Khawaja on Long Room Exchange regarding Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal.
Usman Khawaja on Long Room Exchange
On the final day of the Ashes second test, there was a noisy argument between Usman Khawaja and a few MCC members as the players headed for lunch.
The Television footage showed clear recordings of the heated argument between the players and certain spectators in the Long Room.
The area is a private restricted area only for the members and their guests. Security guards tried to intervene to calm down Khawaja, as David Warner had been in a verbal exchange with some of the members, made the personnel security to step in.
MCC has confirmed that it has suspended three members after the incident. They will be not permitted back to Lord’s Long Room, which was informed by MCC Chief Executive.
What Really Happened in Lord’s Long Room
The incident occurred in the morning session of the Second Test of Ashes 2023 when Jonny Bairstow was dismissed as he was Alex Carey while he was wandering out of his crease at the end of the over, thinking that the ball is said to be dead.
In Bairstow’s dismissal, the Australian side was criticized by England fans throughout the session of the game, until they reach the Lord’s Long Room.
It happened in the first session of the England Innings as Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes had pressure on building up the score after Ben Duckett’s catch by Alex Carey.
England was chasing a target of 371 and was 193 for 5 when Bairstow ducked to avoid a bouncer from Cameron Green on the last ball of the 52nd over.
On the final delivery by Cameron Green, the ball was alone to the wicket-keeper as Jonny Bairstow started walking outside the Crease towards his partner Stokes, having thoughts of the dead ball.
Alex Carey realized an opening and took advantage to dismiss the batter, and had an attempt for a direct hit at the striker’s end to catch Bairstow off-guard and succeeded in it.
In a moment it was given out and he was left with fumes as Australians celebrated around him. According to Law 20, a ball is considered dead when it is finally settled, which is under the final decision of the Umpire. On the incident, Umpire Ahsan Raza had not even called it over.
Usman Khawaja was pulled back by security after speaking to one the members inside the long room 😳
🗣️ “I’ve NEVER seen scenes like that!” pic.twitter.com/2RnjiNssfw
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 2, 2023
Usman Khawaja’s reply to this incident
Usman Khawaja was very depressed about this incident and said, “It was really disappointing, Lord’s is one of my favorite places to come.
There’s always respect shown at Lord’s, particularly in the Members Pavilion in the Long Room, but there wasn’t today. It was very disappointing.
“If anyone asked me where the best place is to play I always say Lord’s. The crowd is great, particularly the members are great, and some of the stuff that was coming out of the members’ mouths [today] was really disappointing and I wasn’t just going to stand by and cop it. So I just talked to a few of them.
“A few of them were throwing out some pretty big allegations and I just called them up on it and they kept going, and I was like, well, this is your membership here. So I’m just pointing them out. But it’s pretty disrespectful, to be honest. I just expect a lot better from the members.”
MCC’s Statement over the Incident
The MCC has given a statement regarding the issue. “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 apologized 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 we are pleased to say that there was no repeat of this as the players resumed the field for this afternoon’s session,” said on Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
The third Test commences in Headingley on Thursday, with Australia requiring a win or a draw to retain the urn they have held over England since the start of 2018.
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