Published 20:00 IST, July 2nd 2023
WATCH: Usman Khawaja has ugly spat with English crowd at Lord's, security intervenes
Usman Khawaja was involved in a heated exchange during the second Test of the Ashes 2023 at Lord's Stadium as England gave everything to draw the series.
- SportFit
- 3 min read
Australia face England in the second Ashes 2023 Test at Lords Stadium. Pat Cummins's side won the first Test at Edgbaston last month after a great performance from Usman Khawaja, who kept the Australian side in the game, and the captain himself, who clutched the game in the last hour of the final session to give the Aussies a 1-0 lead.
3 things you need to know
- Australia won the World Test Championship 2023 final by defeating India
- England trail the Ashes 2023 by 1-0
- Australia are the defending champions of the Ashes
Usman Khawaja involved in an ugly spat with English crowd
Australian batter Usman Khawaja was involved in a heated exchange with the members of the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) while the batter and his team members were heading towards their restroom during the Lunch break on Day 5 of the second
Test of the Ashes 2023. The incident occurred in Lord's Long Room on the final day when Khawaja and his Australian teammates were on their way to lunch. When the member shouted something to Khawaja, the two got into an argument. Whatever the comments were, they didn't seem to appease Khawaja, who appeared angry and irritated and went towards the members but was intervened by the security, who kept him and the member of the MCC away.
A number of contentious occurrences occurred on the penultimate day of the second Test, adding to the already tense environment. One such occurrence occurred when Jonny Bairstow was controversially dismissed, causing uproar among the Lord's audience. The controversy arose when Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey threw the ball at the stumps after Bairstow had left his crease while evading a bouncer from Cameron Green.
The situation became confusing as Jonny Bairstow believed the ball was dead at the end of the over, but Australia persisted with their appeal, leading to a divisive moment. The on-field umpires referred the decision to the TV umpire, Marais Erasmus, who had no choice but to uphold Bairstow's stumping.
Bairstow expressed his frustration, and the typically composed Lord's crowd responded by chanting "Same old Aussies always cheating" while booing echoed throughout the historic venue for several minutes. These disagreements arose as England chased a record run chase at Lord's, with skipper Ben Stokes undefeated on 108 and Stuart Broad at one run when the side reached 243 for 6 at lunch during the ENG vs AUS 2nd Test of Ashes 2023.
Updated 20:00 IST, July 2nd 2023