LONDON: Marylebone Cricket Club has expelled one member and suspended two others following an ugly altercation with Australia players during the second Ashes Test against England at Lord’s.

The normally sedate London ground erupted in fury following the controversial dismissal of England’s Jonny Bairstow on the final day of the match, on July 2.

Spectators were incensed by the incident, in which Australia wicket-keeper Alex Carey threw the ball at the stumps after Bairstow walked out of his crease, thinking the ball was dead.

The tourists were confronted in the pavilion at Lord’s, the headquarters of the MCC, as they returned to their dressing room for lunch. A flashpoint between Australian batters Usman Khawaja and David Warner and MCC members was caught by television cameras.

It was a deeply embarrassing incident for the club, which has responsibility for cricket’s laws and promotes the “spirit of cricket”.

Three members were immediately suspended pending a full investigation.

The MCC announced on Thursday that one member has been expelled owing to “abusive, offensive or inappropriate behaviour or language”, while another is suspended for four-and-a-half years and the other individual involved in the incident will serve a 30-month suspension.

“Details of the disciplinary process are confidential, and the club will not be publishing the names of the three individuals who have been sanctioned,” the MCC said in a statement. “Although it is clear that a wider group of Members were guilty of breaching the club’s code of conduct... the club’s investigation has not yet been able positively to identify further individuals.”

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2023