Jonny Bairstow drags Just Stop Oil activist off Ashes pitch as powder thrown

England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow took it upon himself to drag a Just Stop Oil activist off the pitch at Lord’s during the opening stages of the second Ashes Test on Tuesday morning. The hosts went into the match looking to make a strong start after Australia drew first blood at Edgbaston last week, although they were forced into an early delay when two protestors evaded security and stormed the pitch.

One of the activists sprinted towards the wicket and threw orange powder across the field of play before he was tackled by security, who wasted no time in chasing him down. The other was quickly apprehended by Bairstow after throwing orange powder too, with the England star picking him up and hauling him over the boundary to be dealt with by stewards and police.

A brief delay followed as ground staff brought out a leaf blower to get rid of the orange powder on the grass, while Bairstow returned to the dressing room to change his equipment before emerging back onto the field. The incident took place just as Stuart Broad was preparing to bowl England’s second over of the day after Jimmy Anderson had taken the new ball for the first over.

Loud boos rang out around Lord’s as the protestors initially made their way onto the field, although they turned into cheers when Bairstow decided to take matters into his own hands. Several players from both teams also saw the funny side, with the match eventually resuming after a stoppage of just a few minutes.

It was later revealed that three people had been arrested, with a spokesperson for the Marylebone Cricket Club telling Sky News: “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.”

The incident came after Guy Lavender, chief executive of the Marylebone Cricket Club, warned of the ‘significant risk’ posed by activists looking to cause disruption at prominent sporting events. He also revealed that preventative measures are being taken by those responsible for mitigating the threat of protests in a bid to stop the incidents from taking place.

“It’s just a misery with the disruption to major sporting events and people’s way of life,” said Lavender. “All we can do is to continue to prepare for disruption as any sensible ground can do and we have been planning for possible protests for quite a while so we will do our best.

“You can minimise those risks but at a sports ground unless you have a barrier in front of spectators, it is quite difficult. The stakes are quite high and the implications are quite high. If it damages the square that’s an issue and we have been trying to mitigate for that.

“We have to hope that common sense prevails but the direction of travel suggests that disruption is a significant risk and we have been planning for it.”

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