‘Horribly ironic’ - David Gower lambasts MCC members for Lord's Long Room rumpus

The Ashes 2023 has been full of ups and downs, with hosts England struggling to find their form and having lost two out of the two Tests that have been played so far. The side would be getting desperate in search of answers for the forthcoming games.

There have been many points to discuss in the two matches that have been played so far. However, none of them is as heavily discussed as the controversial dismissal of English wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow on Day 5 of the second Test. Bairstow’s dismissal was not well received by the English fans, as they were of the opinion that the dismissal was against the spirit of the game and that the appeal should have been withdrawn.

Furthermore, the entire Australian team was booed by the members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) as they walked through the Lord’s Long Room for Lunch. Aussie opener Usman Khawaja was also seen engaged in a heated argument with the MCC members.

Seeing the spectacle, former English skipper David Gower was not impressed. He came forward to opine that it was wrong of the MCC members to abuse the Australian team and even get into a verbal altercation with Usman Khawaja and David Warner.

"I found it horribly ironic, and horrible is the keyword, that MCC members were attacking Usman Khawaja, who is actually the nicest man in cricket. It's just wrong. I was in Australia for the last Ashes series and I watched him make hundreds there and watched him make his hundreds here as well. First of all, it's picking on the wrong man. It's a sort of pack mentality which I don't like, I absolutely hate," Gower told SEN’s Sportsday.

England aimed to chase down a target of 371 runs to win the Lord’s Test. However, Bairstow’s dismissal derailed the host’s plans, as even Ben Stokes’ knock of 155 runs was unable to propel the side to a victory.