Lord’s member ejected for verbal abuse
A member has been thrown out of the pavilion at Lord’s for the first time after he hurled verbal abuse at Australia’s Steve Smith at the end of his innings.
The prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club ejected the member on the final day of the second Ashes test between England and Australia at the famous ground in London, the Daily Mail reported.
Smith was walking from the field after making 92 runs, having earlier returned to the middle following a 40-minute break to recover from being hit in the neck by England fast bowler Jofra Archer.
According to a report by The Cricketer the member called Smith a ‘‘cheat and a disgrace’’ as he made his way back to the dressing room. The member has not been identified, but prospective MCC members sit on an 18-year waiting list to join.
Earlier this year a code of conduct was introduced at the AGM to stamp out poor behaviour.
While Smith did receive some applause after he was dismissed by
Chris Woakes on Saturday, there were boos around the ground also.
Commentators including Shane Warne, Michael Vaughan, Mark Taylor and Ian Healy all condemned the behaviour.
‘‘Just get up, clap and say that’s courageous, very brave,’’ Warne said during his commentary.
Taylor said the booing was ‘‘very disappointing’’, while Healy labelled it ‘‘disgusting’’.
‘‘Lord’s won’t be happy with that either. They don’t like any ‘yobbo’ element of crowd behaviour.’’
Both Smith and David Warner have been booed by crowds ever since arriving in England in May, ahead of the Cricket World Cup.
It follows their return to cricket from their year-long bans following the ball tampering incident in South Africa.
The Australian Cricketers Association also issued a statement criticising the crowd.
‘‘What was unwelcome and incorrect was the sound of booing of an injured player,’’ president Greg Dyer said.
‘‘Cricket deserves much better than that. And Lord’s, the home of cricket, deserves much better than that also.
‘‘What we witnessed was bravery from an outstanding young man. It should be commended, not vilified.’’