JONNY BAIRSTOW CARRIES OIL PROTESTOR OFF PITCH – By Sunil Thenabadu

Jonny Bairstow took it on himself to carry the protestor away from action after the latter invaded the field on Day 1 of the second Ashes Test.

The second Test of the Ashes series began June 28 at the iconic Lord’s stadium, with England captain Ben Stokes inviting Australia to bat first. The historic rivalry between both the sides is known for its on-field drama and high-voltage clashes, but on Day 1 of the Test, it weren’t the players but a protestor who headlined the early proceedings at the start of the match. After the first over, a man invaded the field and England’s wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow nonchalantly chased the protestor, lifted the man on his shoulders and dropped him near the boundary line to a tremendous applause from the fans.

The protestor is believed to be from the ‘Just Stop Oil’ group, which has demanded that the British government should “halt all licenses and consents for new oil, gas and coal projects”.

The protestor at Lord’s vandalised the area near the pitch with orange paint and the match was halted for nearly ten minutes as the ground officials cleared the area. After successfully carrying the protestor off the playing area, Bairstow went to the dressing room to change his seemingly stained clothes.