Just Stop Oil protest fears ‘prompt ICC to prepare reserve pitch’ for World Test Championship final

A second pitch has been prepared at the Kia Oval ahead of the start of the World Test Championship final on Wednesday, as per reports. 

Australia are set to take on India at the Oval in their final Test match before the Ashes opener next week, in a bid to be crowned just the second winners of the competition, after New Zealand in 2021.

While no reserve surface was immediately obvious on the eve of the Test, it is believed that the south London ground has readied one in the eventuality that Just Stop Oil protestors should damage the intended pitch, according to the Telegraph. 

Although protestors briefly held up England’s team bus ahead of last week’s first day against Ireland, cricket has as yet remain relatively unscathed by the protests that have afflicted sporting events. 

Saturday’s FA Cup final saw Wembley Stadium install ‘sprinter stewards’ to prevent potential pitch invasions, while the World Snooker Championships witnessed protestors mount the table and throw orange paint over the baize. 

A reserve pitch has reportedly been prepared at the Kia Oval in case of any protests

Australia take on India in the World Test Championship final which gets underway on Wednesday

Cricket’s ability to largely remain untouched by similar demonstrations could perhaps end during the WTC final, given the competition’s association with Aramco, a largely Saudi-owned oil giant. 

Pitches take months to cultivate to a high standard, but ICC regulations allow for a change should the original prove ‘dangerous or unreasonable for play to continue’ on.

It is hoped that any reserve surface will not be needed, with the Oval beefing up their security measures in advance. 

Australia skipper and bowler Pat Cummins revealed that players were warned of the possibility of a protest in their pre-Test briefing, adding that he hoped such a demonstration would not happen.  

‘It’s something we got in the security briefing a couple days ago,’ Cummins said. ‘I’ve heard that they’re aware of it and kind of keep an eye out. But that’s as much as we’ve heard.

‘So hopefully, it doesn’t happen, obviously. But yeah, I’ve heard there’s a few different events that have been affected.’

Cummins – himself an outspoken advocate of climate action – claimed that ‘there’s right ways to go about things’ and stated his hopes that any protestors might ‘take the right option’ in getting their message across.

‘First of all I have to say I haven’t really followed it at all, so I don’t really know what these protests are about, but my view is always there’s right ways to go about things and potentially not the right way to go about things,’ he stated. 

Pat Cummins claimed that the players had been warned of potential protests in their security briefing

Just Stop Oil protestors held up England’s bus on the way in to Lord’s for the first day against Ireland in a four-day Test

Jonny Bairstow highlighted the delay to the home side’s arrival on his Instagram account earlier on Thursday

‘Whenever anyone’s got any beliefs, you just hope you take the right option 

After England were held up by Just Stop Oil ahead of their one-off four-day Test against Ireland – which resulted in a 10-wicket win inside three days – the Marylebone Cricket Club stated that player and spectator safety was of ‘high priority’

A spokesperson for MCC said: ‘We have a number of ground regulations that help us achieve that; including not entering the playing area or demonstrating.

‘Whilst 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 those existing provisions ahead of this summer’s schedule.’