Ashes 2023: David Gower slams MCC members for heckling Usman Khawaja on day 5 in Lord’s Long Room

By India Today Sports Desk: Former England captain David Gower expressed his anger over the aggressive conduct of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) members in direction of the Australian gamers through the second Ashes Test held at Lord’s. Gower, a former middle-order batsman, was significantly disturbed by the heckling directed at Usman Khawaja, whom he considered one of the amiable people within the sport.

The Lord’s crowd and MCC members turned on the guests after the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow on day 5 of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s. Khawaja and David Warner had heated exchanges with MCC members within the Lord’s Long Room. Later, the MCC did take motion, suspending three members.

“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 mentioned whereas talking to SEN’s Sportsday.

Khawaja slammed the disrespectful behaviour after the sport, particularly on condition that Lord’s is one among his favorite venues to play in. The 36-year-old said that he wouldn’t stand there and take heed to them say hurtful issues.

“It was really disappointing. Lord’s is one of my favourite places to come. There’s always respect shown at Lord’s, particularly in the Members Pavilion in the Long Room, but there wasn’t today. It was very disappointing,” Khawaja advised Channel Nine.

“If anyone asked me where the best place is to play I always say Lord’s. The crowd is great, particularly the members are great, and some of the stuff that was coming out of the members’ mouths is really disappointing and I wasn’t just going stand by and cop it. So I just talked to a few of them. A few of them throwing out some pretty big allegations and I just called them up on it and they kept going, and I was like, well, this is your membership here. So I’m just pointing them out. But it’s pretty disrespectful, to be honest. I just expect a lot better from the members,” he added.