In a surprising turn of events at the prestigious Ashes Test match in Lord’s, the first day of play witnessed a moment of disruption as two protestors from the group “Just Stop Oil” invaded the pitch after the first over. The incident momentarily halted the game at the renowned Mecca of Cricket. Bursting onto the playing surface from the grandstand, the protesters were swiftly intercepted by the players.

One of the intruders was humorously carried away by England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, creating a light-hearted moment for the jam-packed crowd at Lord’s. Meanwhile, David Warner and Ben Stokes joined forces to prevent the other protestor from reaching the pitch. The video capturing the incident quickly went viral on social media, with Bairstow’s actions eliciting laughter and amusement from fans.

Following the disruption, the groundstaff promptly cleaned up the powder paint that had spilled onto the outfield. Bairstow also took the opportunity to change into a fresh set of whites. This unexpected occurrence resulted in a six-minute delay before the start of the second over of the day. “Just Stop Oil,” a coalition of environmental action groups, has previously targeted various high-profile sporting events, including Premier League football matches, the Premiership rugby union final, and the World Snooker Championship.

Despite the disturbance, Australian openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja remained unfazed and displayed resilience in challenging conditions, denying England an early breakthrough. England had won the toss and elected to bowl first in their pursuit of wickets.