Former Australia batter Usman Khawaja alleges he was racially abused by a Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) member during the Ashes Test at Lord's in 2023. The incident came after England's Jonny Bairstow was controversially stumped by Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey in the second Test, and Khawaja describes the members as like "a pack of dogs" in his newly released autobiography.
Television footage at the time showed Khawaja and David Warner were involved in clashes with spectators as Australia walked off for lunch. As a result, the MCC expelled one member and suspended two others. They were all found to have used "abusive, offensive or inappropriate behaviour or language", with one member given a four‑and‑a‑half‑year suspension and the other 30 months.
Khawaja recounts being told not to shout at a man, which led to another person racially abusing him. "We didn't realise what was waiting for us in the Long Room," he said, describing MCC members turning into "a pack of privileged drunks, barking at us". He also claimed the entire Australia team knew about the sandpaper ball‑tampering scandal in 2018. The 39‑year‑old retired in January after scoring 6,229 runs in 88 Tests.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing