NEW DELHI: The Marylebone Cricket Club on Thursday expelled one member and handed long suspensions to two others following their clashes with Australian players during Lord’s Ashes Test in July.
Unprecedented scenes of uproar at the home of cricket had erupted after Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey threw down the stumps when England batter Jonny Bairstow wandered out of his crease without checking if the ball was dead.
The crowd accused Australia of cheating and Australian players Usman Khawaja and David Warner were confronted in the Long Room by MCC members as they returned to their dressing room during the Lunch break.
A flashpoint between Khawaja and Warner and MCC members was caught by television cameras.
It was a deeply embarrassing incident for the club, which has responsibility for cricket’s laws and promotes the “spirit of cricket”.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese even became embroiled in the row.
Three members were immediately suspended pending a full investigation.
The MCC announced on Thursday that one member has been expelled owing to “abusive, offensive or inappropriate behaviour or language”, while another is suspended for four-and-a-half years and the other individual involved in the incident will serve a 30-month suspension.
“Details of the disciplinary process are confidential, and the club will not be publishing the names of the three individuals who have been sanctioned,” the MCC said in a statement.
“Although it is clear that a wider group of Members were guilty of breaching the club’s code of conduct… the club’s investigation has not yet been able positively to identify further individuals.”
Australia won the second Test to take a 2-0 lead but England hit back to level the five-match series 2-2.
(With inputs from AFP)
Unprecedented scenes of uproar at the home of cricket had erupted after Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey threw down the stumps when England batter Jonny Bairstow wandered out of his crease without checking if the ball was dead.
The crowd accused Australia of cheating and Australian players Usman Khawaja and David Warner were confronted in the Long Room by MCC members as they returned to their dressing room during the Lunch break.
A flashpoint between Khawaja and Warner and MCC members was caught by television cameras.
It was a deeply embarrassing incident for the club, which has responsibility for cricket’s laws and promotes the “spirit of cricket”.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese even became embroiled in the row.
Three members were immediately suspended pending a full investigation.
The MCC announced on Thursday that one member has been expelled owing to “abusive, offensive or inappropriate behaviour or language”, while another is suspended for four-and-a-half years and the other individual involved in the incident will serve a 30-month suspension.
“Details of the disciplinary process are confidential, and the club will not be publishing the names of the three individuals who have been sanctioned,” the MCC said in a statement.
“Although it is clear that a wider group of Members were guilty of breaching the club’s code of conduct… the club’s investigation has not yet been able positively to identify further individuals.”
Australia won the second Test to take a 2-0 lead but England hit back to level the five-match series 2-2.
(With inputs from AFP)
