MCC members expelled for misbehavior towards Australian players during Lord's test in Ashes 2023

MCC members showed bad behavior towards Australian players at the Lord's during Ashes 2023.

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has acted firmly in response to the misbehavior of three of its members during the Lord's test in the Ashes 2023. These members had engaged in improper conduct during the match, specifically in the long room, where they directed verbal abuse towards Australian players like Usman Khawaja and David Warner during the lunch break. This incident took place shortly after a controversial stumping of England's Jonny Bairstow by Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey on the final day of the match.

To address this behavior, MCC imposed varying penalties on the offending members. One member was permanently expelled from the club, another received a suspension lasting four and a half years, and the third member was suspended for a period of 30 months. These penalties were formally communicated to MCC's membership through a written statement.

All allegations pertained to "behavior or language that was abusive, offensive, or inappropriate."

MCC members expelled

Back then, MCC issued an "unreserved apology" to Australian team and temporarily suspended three members while they investigated the incident. Although videos released shortly after the incident suggested that there were dozens to possibly hundreds of MCC members involved in the verbal abuse, only three individuals faced formal disciplinary action.

MCC promotes itself as "the world's most active cricket club, the proprietor of Lord's Ground, and the custodian of the Laws of the game."

In the written statement, it stated, "The actions of the three individuals in the pavilion on the day in question fell well below the behavior expected from our members." The penalties set out above are the consequences of breaching the club’s code of conduct.”

MCC, in their decision, opted not to reveal the names of the three individuals who were subjected to sanctions. Furthermore, the club had previously taken proactive measures to prevent the repetition of similar incidents.

The stumping of Bairstow was the most controversial and talked-about moment in the highly competitive ashes series.