Confrontation at Lord's: Usman Khawaja, David Warner embroiled in heated exchange with members in Long Room

The dismissal of Jonny Bairstow, although within the rules of the game, ignited a firestorm of controversy.

Lord's Long Room

The 2nd Ashes Test at Lord's witnessed a day filled with high drama and intense emotions both on and off the field. While England was batting to chase down a challenging target of 371 runs, the game took a contentious turn just before lunch with the loss of two crucial wickets.

The dismissal of Jonny Bairstow, although within the rules of the game, ignited a firestorm of controversy, leaving the English crowd incensed and echoing familiar chants of "Same old Aussies, always cheating."

The crowd's discontent could be heard even when the Aussie side was going towards their dressing room but what grabbed everyone's attention was the echoes of disapproval reverberated through the esteemed halls of the Lords Long Room.

The members present in the Long Room expressed their frustration with two Australian players, adding another layer of tension to an already charged atmosphere.

The discontent with Alex Carey's clever glovework that led to Bairstow's dismissal was directed towards Australian opener Usman Khawaja. Khawaja, who was on his way back to the dressing room, halted and engaged in a heated exchange before being restrained by security personnel.

A few harsh remarks were also directed towards David Warner, which prompted umpire Chris Gaffaney to step in and stop it.

Former Australian captain Mark Taylor said on Channel 9, "You don’t like seeing that from the members". Former Test batter Callum Ferguson continued saying, "It's got a little bit nasty at times. What's coming from the crowd is quite vicious from the Australians."

Veteran England cricketers also expressed their displeasure with the scenes inside the Long Room. "The crowd were right into Australia when they were on the field, that continued as the players when through their long room," former England batter Ian Ward said on Sky Sports.

"I've never seen scenes like that, particularly in the Long Room.”

"There is a huge sense of frustration. I can't understand why. It’s complete naivety around what has happened around Bairstow’s dismissal — he's stumped!" former England captain Eoin Morgan said.

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