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The England cricket team has been delayed by Just Stop Oil protesters en route to Lord’s for the Test match against Ireland.
England’s Jonny Bairstow shared an Instagram picture of the orange-clad demonstrators being spoken to by police as they blocked a road close to Hyde Park in London.
The wicketkeeper-batsman captioned the snap: ‘If we’re a bit late, it’s not our fault.’
England are set to play Ireland in a one-off Test match starting on Thursday, which will serve as an important tune-up for the forthcoming Ashes series with Australia.
The team bus was delayed by around five minutes before making it to Lord’s.
England cricketer Jonny Bairstow posted a picture of Just Stop Oil protesters holding up the team bus en route to Lord’s for the pre-Ashes Test match against Ireland
England and Ireland meet in a Test match at Lord’s which will serve as an Ashes tune-up
Jonny Bairstow (left) jokes with coach Brendon McCullum and Joe Root (right) during England’s net session ahead of the Ireland Test
The environmental protest group have disrupted a number of prominent sporting events as part of a wave of stunts in recent months.
The Gallagher Premiership rugby final between Saracens and Sale Sharks at Twickenham was interrupted last Saturday when protestors ran onto the field and threw orange powder.
It followed a similar powder stunt at the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in April, which halted play.
A man climbed onto one of the tables and covered it in orange powder while another protestor tried to glue herself to the second table.
Samuel Johnson, 40, of Reydon in Suffolk, and Patrick Hart, 37, of Brislington, Bristol appeared in court on Monday charged with criminal damage and aggravated trespass after the rugby final stunt.
The court heard how the pair threw orange cornflour on to the grass before being intercepted by stewards and led off the pitch. The powder remained visible for the remainder of the game.
Magistrate Helen Jones sent the matter to be tried at a Crown Court, with the pair due to appear at Kingston Crown Court on June 26.
There were gasps from the Crucible crowd when the first round match between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry was interrupted by the protestors on April 17.
While one protestor jumped onto the table and covered it in orange powder, another tried to glue herself to the adjacent table where Mark Allen and Fan Zhengyi were in action, but was stopped by referee Olivier Marteel.
Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership rugby final was disrupted by orange-powder throwing protestors from Just Stop Oil
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A Just Stop Oil protestor also disrupted the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible
Orange powder was thrown and play halted during the stunt in Sheffield back in April
Last season, a protestor caused a delay to Everton’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United at Goodison Park when he attached his neck to a goalpost with a cable tie.
Mail Sport revealed earlier this week that ‘sprinter stewards’ will be deployed at this Saturday’s Wembley FA Cup final between Manchester United and Manchester City to prevent protesters getting onto the pitch.
The possibility that Just Stop Oil will target the high-profile event has formed a major part of the security planning.
Equipment to release protestors is likely to be on-site while the sprinter stewards, the use of whom was revealed by Mail Sport ahead of the closing day of the last Premier League season, are also likely to be present.
Such workers are specially trained in dealing with invaders and wear football boots or footwear with the most adequate grip to allow them for speed.
Also described as ‘pitch runners’, they are tasked with keeping an eye out for any members of the public attempting to breach security lines and make their way onto the field of play.
Officials have a number of other measures they can take to prevent and deal with any disruption.
Louis McKechnie, 21, stormed the pitch and zip-tied himself to the goalpost at Goodison Park during the game between Everton and Newcastle United last year
Stadium staff prised him free with a huge pair of bolt cutters and hauled him off the pitch where he was arrested by police
A statement released by Just Stop Oil following the Twickenham protest said they would ‘continue to take disruptive action until this government stops new fossil fuels’.
Security is also being stepped up at the home of cricket in an effort to stop eco militants targeting a summer of Test matches.
England open their summer fixtures against Ireland before Australia arrive next month for the Ashes.
In the wake of a series of stunts targeting high-profile events, Marylebone Cricket Club, the proprietor of Lord’s in north London, said it is taking measures to minimise the threat from Just Stop Oil.
A spokesman said the ‘safety and security’ of players and spectators was the ‘highest priority’.
‘While protests would disrupt the game, we have a number of security measures in place, some visible, some less so, to deter this. In some areas we have enhanced existing provisions,’ the spokesman said.
