Usman Khawaja alleges racial abuse by an MCC member at Lord's in 2023

Usman Khawaja has made a serious allegation in his newly released autobiography. The former Australia batter says he was racially abused by a Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) member during the 2023 Ashes Test at Lord's.

He compares the members in the Long Room to "a pack of dogs".

What happened?

The flashpoint came in the second Test, after England's Jonny Bairstow was controversially stumped by Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey. As Australia walked off for lunch, television footage showed Khawaja and David Warner clashing with spectators.

Khawaja writes that the team did not realise what was waiting for them in the Long Room, the famous members' area at Lord's. He describes members "swearing" in unison from a metre away and someone "shouting, spitting and screaming" in his face.

He says another member stuck out a leg to trip him and Warner on the stairs. Warner told the man off first, so Khawaja did not expect him to try it again. He did.

Khawaja says he told one man not to shout at him again, and that this led to another person racially abusing him. At the top of the stairs, he says he put his arms in the air and asked: "Is this Lord's or the zoo?"

What did the MCC do at the time?

The MCC, the club that owns Lord's, expelled one member and suspended two others in July 2023. All three were found to have used "abusive, offensive or inappropriate behaviour or language". One suspension lasted four and a half years, another 30 months.

Khawaja is careful not to tar everyone. He says members are usually "the kindest, most gentle, cricket-loving" people, who clap you off whether you score a hundred or a duck. But that day, he writes, made him think they might not be so different from the rest.

Why is it back in the news?

The book, called Sabr, also claims the entire Australia team knew about the use of sandpaper to tamper with the ball in the 2018 Test against South Africa. Mitchell Starc has denied any prior knowledge, and Cricket Australia has said it will not reopen its investigation.

Khawaja, 39, retired from international cricket in January after scoring 6,229 runs in 88 Tests.