Follow UsEngland's Josh Tongue labelled Jonny Bairstow a "hero" for protecting the Lord's pitch after the wicketkeeper man-handled a climate activist during the second Ashes Test on Wednesday.
A pair of Just Stop Oil protesters ran onto the outfield from the Lord's Grandstand just before Stuart Broad bowled the second over of the opening day.
Although the protesters sprinkled the group's trademark orange powder on the grass, they did not reach the pitch, thanks to Bairstow's swift intervention.
The England star grabbed one of the demonstrators and carried them off the playing surface to cheers from the crowd while the other invader was apprehended by stewards.
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The right-arm pacer felt that the game would have been significantly interrupted or even called off if the pitch had been covered by the powder.
"I saw Jonny running after him. If they had put the powder on the wicket, who knows where the game would have been," said Tongue.
"Jonny doing what he did, who knows, the game could've been called off. Bit of a hero to be fair. If he didn't stop him, they could've got on the pitch and done something."
Just Stop Oil, which wants to end new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, has disrupted a series of sporting events, including the British Formula One Grand Prix and the English Premiership rugby union final.
During Premier League football matches, protesters have tied themselves to goalposts and thrown orange powder on the green baize at the World Snooker Championship.
Earlier this month, Just Stop Oil also delayed the England team bus taking the side to the Home of Cricket for the Test against Ireland.
Meanwhile, Australia opener David Warner revealed his team had been warned about the potential for a pitch invasion from the activists.
But he didn't expect Bairstow's moment of crowd control because the players had been told not to get involved.
"We had been warned beforehand it might happen. We didn't really know what to do. We were told to stand away, not man-handle them like Jonny," Warner said.
The burly Bairstow seemed to handle the incident with no fear, but his bold actions could have ended in injury. In 1982, Australia bowler Terry Alderman damaged his shoulder while tackling a fan who invaded the Perth pitch during an Ashes Test.
"We wanted to protect the wicket, and we didn't want it damaged. It is a touchy situation. You don't want to be involved, but everything's fine."
After the protest drama, Australia were largely in control, reaching 339-5 at stumps following England's decision to bowl first in overcast conditions. Two wickets late in the day from off-spinner Joe Root gave England renewed hope.
"We were really unlucky in the first hour. There were a lot of play and misses. They could have been three or four wickets down. The two wickets Joe got were crucial. They were scoring at a good rate," said Tongue.
Warner, who made 66 before being bowled by Tongue, added: "It was quite challenging, very good bowling conditions. We felt they bowled extremely well with the new ball and swung around a bit. We stuck to our game plan. All in all, I think it was a good day."
(With inputs from AFP)