England and Australia players to be given extra security at Edgbaston
EXCLUSIVE: England and Australia players to be given extra security at Edgbaston for first Ashes Test to help protect the game from being targeted by eco-protesters
- The Ashes kicks off this Friday and is expected to be a tightly-contested series
- The ECB have held talks with police and their security will be at the ground
- Protestors have targeted several sporting events over the last few months
England and Australia’s players will be given additional security at Edgbaston this week to protect the first Ashes Test from being targeted by protestors.
The ECB have held talks in recent days with West Midlands Police, who have provided advice to both teams on secure route planning and agreed to assign additional officers to the ground to guide against pitch invaders.
ECB security staff will also be present at Edgbaston after the players’ coach was held up by Just Stop Oil protestors en route to Lord’s on the first day of the one-off Test against Ireland a fortnight ago. Whilst there was no disruption to the game itself the environmental protest was the latest in a long line of incidents at major sport events this summer.
The Gallagher Premiership rugby final at Twickenham last month was interrupted when two men wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts threw orange paint powder on the field during the game between Saracens and Sale, whilst play at the World Snooker Championship was suspended in April after a man threw orange dye all over the Crucible theatre and a woman attempted to glue herself to her table.
In addition both the Grand National and Epsom Derby had to cope with disruption from members of the Animal Rising pressure group, leading to multiple arrests.
Extra security is set to be given to England and Australia’s players at Edgbaston this week
Several sporting events have been targeted by Just Stop Oil protestors in recent months
The Grand National and Epsom Derby, meanwhile, have been disrupted by animal rights protestors
The ECB and Warwickshire CCC will also make clear that any pitch invaders face bans and potential prosecution.
England games have been targeted by pitch invaders in the recent past, with YouTube prankster Daniel Jarvis given a suspended sentence last year after being found guilty of aggravated trespass during England’s Test match against India at the Oval in September.
In contrast the World Test Championship between Australia and India at the Oval last week passed off without incident despite the showpiece event being associated with ICC sponsors by Aramco, a Saudi Arabian oil company.
The ICC are understood to have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police to run an enhanced security operation, details of which have been passed to the ECB and Cricket Australia.
The ECB have also threatened bans and potential prosecution to potential pitch invaders
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