Jonny Bairstow carried a protestor from Just Stop Oil off the ground after they invaded the pitch at Lord's during the first Ashes Test.
The Test started at 11am on Wednesday morning, with James Anderson opening the bowling to Australia batter David Warner. The first over started with little drama, with Warner hitting a boundary to leave the score at 4-0.
Before Stuart Broad could bowl the second over to Usman Khawaja, two protestors ran onto the field carrying orange paint dust. Bairstow reacted fastest, picking one of them up and marching them to the boundary edge.
Mirror Sport's cricket correspondent Dean Wilson tweeted from Lord's: "Looks like an attempt at a Just Stop Oil protest at Lord's, but they didn't account for Jonny Bairstow who just picked one of them up and carried them off the pitch. Extraordinary scenes. Groundstaff clearing the orange powder that did not get onto the pitch."
England captain Ben Stokes and Warner were seen trying to stop one of the protestors, who was wearing a white T-shirt with 'Just Stop Oil' written on it. He was then tackled by a Lord's steward amid a chorus of loud boos from the crowd.
The incident failed to disrupt the cricket much, with the pitch unaffected. Bairstow went off to change his shirt, reappearing through the famous long room not long after. Play resumed after a short interruption.
Just Stop Oil want the UK government immediately halt new oil, gas and coal projects in the UK and want Lord's to release a statement demanding an end to new fossil fuels.
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said: “Cricket is an important part of our national heritage, but how can we enjoy England vs Australia when much of the cricketing world is becoming unfit for humans to live in? We can no longer afford to distract ourselves when the sports we play, the food we eat, and the culture we cherish is at risk.”
“It’s time for cricket lovers and all those who understand the severity of this situation, to get onto the streets and demand action from this illegitimate, criminal government. When our children ask us ‘what did we do’ to avert this crisis, we better have a good answer.”
Lord's owners Marylebone Cricket Club released a statement from its chief executive Guy Lavender: "MCC condemn in the strongest possible terms today's pitch incursion and the behaviour of the protestors involved.
"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."
Just Stop Oil have developed a reputation for interrupting sports events this year, with the World Championship Snooker the most high profile of their protests. Play was suspended in April after a protestor climbed onto the table and emptied a packet of orange powder paint onto it.
Bairstow has previous with pitch invaders, having been involved in the YouTube prankster Jarvo 69 incident. The pitch invader, Daniel Jarvis, collided with Bairstow on the outfield at the Oval during the fourth Test against India in 2021.
Jarvis was later sentenced to eight weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years, after being found guilty of aggravated trespass.
