MCC restricts access of its members after Long Room incident at Lord's Test
The Hindu
The members of the MCC have “brought shame” by abusing the Australian cricketers during the Lord’s Test and a “tougher stance” will be taken on their “unacceptable” behaviour, the club said
The members of the MCC have "brought shame" by abusing the Australian cricketers during the Lord's Test and a "tougher stance" will be taken on their "unacceptable" behaviour, the club said after deciding to restrict their access in the Long Room.
The MCC had "unreservedly apologised" to the Australian team for the behaviour of some of its members and suspended three of them after few players of the visiting team were abused in the Long room on the fifth day of the second Ashes Test.
"I cannot downplay the impact that the behaviour of a few members has had on the perception of our club. The members shown on camera have brought shame on MCC," MCC chair Bruce Carnegie-Brown wrote in an email to Club's members according to The Guardian.
"Their actions hinder our efforts to promote the positive things our club does to promote and celebrate the game of cricket. Their actions inhibit our ability to carry out our role as guardian of the laws of cricket and the spirit of cricket." Australia batters Usman Khawaja and David Warner were involved in a heated exchange with spectators in the Long Room, which is an area reserved only for MCC members and their guests, following Jonny Bairstow's controversial stumping on the final day of the Lord's Test.
Khawaja was pulled back by security guards. Warner was also seen making a comment to some of the members, with security forced to step in.
The Custodian of the game's laws, MCC has decided to "expand the roped-off area through which players walk when they go between the dressing rooms and the pitch" and also barred members from using the stairs while teams are walking through the building.
The new rules will be implemented for the first time during Australia women's T20 against England on Saturday.
Asian Games champion Avinash Sable opened his season in the 3000m steeple chase with a silver in the Portland Track Festival, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Oregon on Saturday. He clocked 8:21.85s. Asian champion Parul Chaudhary took the bronze in the women’s 3000m steeple chase in a season-best 9:31.38s. Former Asian bronze medallist Sanjivani Jadhav struck gold in the women’s 10,000m in 32:22.77s, a time which was a second off her personal best, while Seema was sixth in 32:55.91s.