Three protesters from Just Stop Oil have been charged with aggravated trespass following the disruption at the Ashes test at Lord’s.
Two men ran onto the field with orange paint dust after the first over of the match between England and Australia on Wednesday morning.
The Metropolitan Police on Thursday said three people had been charged in connection with the incident.
Judit Murray, 69 of West Ewell, Surrey, Daniel Knorr, 21, of Oxford, and Jacob Bourne, 26, of Hyde Park, Leeds, have been charged with aggravated trespass, the Metropolitan Police said.
The three will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on July 31.
Superintendent Gerry Parker, Metropolitan Police Service, said: “We will not tolerate criminal or anti-social behaviour and there are serious consequences for people who engage in criminal acts.”
As well as slow walking, members of Just Stop Oil protested at a host of other sporting events, including rugby’s Premiership final and snooker’s World Championship.
Players had been briefed on the threat and told not to intervene were protestors to enter the playing field, but any damage to the pitch could have resulted in a significant hold-up and players opted to take matters into their own hands.
Ground staff have prepared back-up wickets at all five Ashes venues this summer as a contingency plan, but even that would take time to ready for match use.
A spokesperson for the protest group said on Wednesday: “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.”
In contrast, Rishi Sunak approved of Jonny Bairstow pulling one of the avtivists off the pitch.
“I thought Bairstow was brilliant,” the cricket-loving PM told the Standard at a Bloomberg party in the National Portrait Gallery on Wednesday night. “I didn’t see it live, but I’ve seen it subsequently. I absolutely support it. He was great, it was a shame about the rest of the game though.”
