There was humour amid the madness. One member shouting “cowards,cowards” changed his tune when he saw another member stick a leg out to try to trip up Warner as he went up the stairs,chanting instead “too far,too far”.
Awkwardly,the players share the samelunchroom at Lord’s. An angry Bairstow asked the Australians,“Are you guys happy with that?” Warner replied “Yeah,very”,prompting Bairstow to storm out.
Usman Khawaja outside the Lord’s pavilion after the second Ashes Test last year.Credit:Getty
Khawaja said the Lord’s Long Room should be specially policed because of the proximity of the members.
“There was a lot of stuff said that I didn’t agree with,especially around the playing area and the changing rooms and where we walk on and off,” he said. “If there’s anywhere around the world,that has to be one place that’s protected.
“I was getting sprayed left,right and centre at fine leg or deep long on,I was getting absolutely nailed. But that area’s got nothing to do with me. It’s only when they get close to my change rooms where I was like ‘You’re in a privileged position to sit near the players and the change rooms’,so there’s a certain behaviour that should go with that.”
With MCC members now on notice that their place in cricket’s most privileged club is at stake,Lavender believes there will never be a repeat of last year’s unruly scenes,and changes to the Long Room will help ensure that.
Australian players are heckled and abused in the famous Lord’s Long Room.Credit:Nine
When Australia next play there,in a one-day international in September,the area will be much tighter cordoned and access to the stairwells on either side of the pavilion will be closed entirely when the players need to use them.
“There are a couple of operational adjustments,” Lavender told this masthead. “The first one is to widen the walkway between the players and members to create more space,which we thought was sensible,and then close the stairways to members moving up and down as the players exit the changing room and go down to the field of play.
“Looking back a year,it was a moment in time when it’s clear that emotions are running very high during what was an incredible Ashes Test match and the series,more broadly. It was electric,” he said. “My broad view is,I don’t think there’s a likelihood of it happening again.
“Everyone’s reflected on that day. Lord’s is a really unique and special place. And the Long Room and pavilion particularly is a sort of unique and special environment. It’s really enjoyed by the members,and I think by players as well. It’s unique in that regard. And I think everyone understands that that’s really,really important.”
While the International Cricket Council is the game’s governing body,history and tradition have left the MCC as custodians of the game’s laws.
Law 20.1.2 of the MCC’s Laws of Cricket states:“The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.”
Lavender said the MCC had reviewed the law and found it “fit for purpose”,with no changes required.
Loading
After Australia won last year’s Lord’s Test by 43 runs,despite another inspired Stokes century,the England captain invoked the spirit of cricket.
“If the shoe was on the other foot,I would have put more pressure on the umpires and asked whether they had called over and had a deep think about the whole spirit of the game and whether I would want to do something like that,” Stokes said. “For Australia,it was the match-winning moment. Would I want to win a game in that manner? The answer is no.”
McCullum said:“I can’t imagine we’ll be having a beer any time soon” with the Australian team,which also made Cummins laugh given how much McCullum enjoyed a drink during his playing days as a New Zealand great.
The biggest loser was Carey. The torrent of abuse aimed at him extended to death threats and clearly impacted him. Despite his insistence that he was fine,his performances declined and his teammates were worried about him.