During the first day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s on Wednesday, play was briefly interrupted as climate activists took the spotlight. As Stuart Broad prepared to bowl the second over, two protesters associated with Just Stop Oil dashed out of the Grandstand and onto the outfield. While they sprinkled the group’s recognizable orange powder on the square, they refrained from doing so on the pitch.

In a remarkable act, England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow swiftly took control of the situation, wrestling one of the protesters to the ground and escorting them off the playing surface. Meanwhile, vigilant stewards managed to apprehend the other individual. A third demonstrator was promptly tackled before reaching the outfield at Lord’s, the revered ‘Home of Cricket’ in north-west London.

The spectators expressed their discontent with the protesters through a chorus of boos as the stewards escorted them away. Following a brief delay, the orange powder was efficiently removed by the diligent ground-staff, allowing play to resume with Broad resuming his bowling spell from the Nursery End.

This incident marks the latest disruption caused by Just Stop Oil in British sports events, joining their previous protests during the Premiership rugby final at Twickenham and the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield. Earlier this month, the group also managed to delay the England team bus en route to Lord’s for the lone Test against Ireland.