Australia star David Warner came up with a funny response when asked about the incident involving protestors on day 1 of the ongoing second Ashes Test at the Lord’s. The opening batsman playfully teased England star Jonny Bairstow after the latter carried off a protestor.
The Test had to be stopped briefly on Wednesday (June 29) as several protestors from the Just Stop Oil movement ran onto the ground. The movement has been calling for an end to new oil, gas, and coal projects in the UK. The protestors ran onto the field with orange powder in their palms.
One protestor was apprehended before reaching any players, while Bairstow stepped in to carry off another intruder. The wicketkeeper-batsman made sure to take the protestor out of the ground before handing him to the staff. He then left the ground for a brief period of time to change his whites and equipment. Fortunately, the pitch was not affected due to the protest.
David Warner on the incident:
During the post-day press conference, David Warner was asked about the instructions given to the players in the event of a pitch invasion. In reply, the left-handed batsman jokingly commented that they were advised to keep their distance and be cautious. He then humorously took a dig at his former IPL teammate Bairstow, saying that their intention was not to handle the intruders like he did, but rather to protect the pitch.
“No, we were actually told to stand away and just be careful. But for us, as I said like, we know what they’re trying to do to the wicket. So for us it was, not manhandling them like Jonny (laughs). But for us it was protecting the wicket and the best interests of what we felt out there.”
“I don’t what that chalk does to the wicket but it would have been a long delay and we wouldn’t have wanted that,” said Warner.
Talking about the game, Australia have the upper hand in the game after finishing day one on 339 for 5. Earlier in the day, David Warner scored 66 to give his team a good start before fifties from Travis Head and Steve Smith took Australia to a strong position.