"He's a bit of a hero" - Josh Tongue heaps praise on Jonny Bairstow for safeguarding Lord's pitch from Just Stop Oil protestors in 2nd Ashes Test

Young England fast bowler Josh Tongue has hailed teammate Jonny Bairstow for protecting the Lord’s pitch from Just Stop Oil protestors during the first day of the second Ashes Test on Wednesday, June 28.

Before the commencement of the second over, two men, wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts, ran towards the pitch with orange-colored chalk and paint in their hands. Bairstow stopped one of the intruders from damaging the wicket. The England wicket-keeper lifted the man and carried him to the boundary line, where the stewards did the rest.

Bairstow later rushed to the dressing room to change his white shirt as the match was further delayed by six minutes. Speaking in a press conference after Day 1, Tongue, who made his Ashes debut, said:

“If Jonny didn't do what he did, who knows where the game could be now? It could've been called off. He's a bit of a hero! My back was turned. I heard Jonny shout and then saw him running after him. I probably wouldn't have gone towards them, just in case they had anything else on them."

Tongue dismissed Australian openers Usman Khawaja (17) and David Warner (66) to finish with figures of 2 for 88 on Day 1. The tourists later rode on excellent knocks from Steve Smith (85*) and Travis Head (77) to close the day at 339 for 5.

What is Just Stop Oil about?

The Just Stop Oil group demands the government stop all new licenses for the exploration of oil and other fossil fuels in the United Kingdom, as reported by BBC News.

The group has staged similar protests and pitch invasions at various sporting events around the country over the past year. They disrupted the Rugby Union Premiership final and the World Snooker Championship. Protestors have also invaded pitches in the English Premier League, where they tie themselves to a goalpost.

Following the pitch invasion at Lord’s on Wednesday, an official spokesperson of Just Stop Oil stated:

“Cricket is an important part of our national heritage, but how can we enjoy England vs Australia when much of the cricketing world is becoming unfit for humans to live in? We can no longer afford to distract ourselves when the sports we play, the food we eat, and the culture we cherish is at risk.”

“It’s time for cricket lovers and all those who understand the severity of this situation, to get onto the streets and demand action from this illegitimate, criminal government. When our children ask us ‘what did we do’ to avert this crisis, we better have a good answer.”

The group says it's ready to end its long-standing protest once the UK government comes up with a solution to end fossil-fuel production.