Watch: Ahmedabad Pitch Invader Wen Johnson New Video Surfaces Showing How He Entered The Final
Published - 21 Nov 2023, 12:03 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 10:12 AM
The recently-concluded final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 between India and Australia was briefly interrupted by a pitch invader named Wen Johnson. The cricketing world was stunned by the incident, as security officials failed to stop the intruder from interrupting one of the biggest, if not the biggest, fixtures in the game.
The incident took place when Virat Kohli and KL Rahul were busy building a partnership for Team India. In the 14th over of India’s innings, the pitch invader managed to breach security and entered the field while wearing a mask with the colors of the Palestine flag and a ‘Stop Bombing Palestine’ message on his T-shirt. He also managed to get close to Virat Kohli and tried to hug him before being escorted off the field.
Pitch invader with a Palestinian flag and a message on his T-shirt.
Free Free Palestine ??#INDvsAUSfinal pic.twitter.com/hnHgiBzFEQ
— زماں (@Delhiite_) November 19, 2023
The person was later identified as Australian national Wen Johnson and is also a serial pitch invader. Earlier this year in August, he had invaded the pitch during the Women’s World Cup football final between England and Spain in his home country. At that time, he was sporting a ‘Free Ukraine’ t-shirt.
In 2020, he had invaded the pitch during a rugby match in 2020 and did a ‘floss’ dance. He was fined Aus $200 for this stunt.
How did Wen Johnson breach the security?
The cricketing world was completely stunned to see Wen Johnson on the field during the final, as not many were expecting a pitch invader to breach the tight security at the Narendra Modi Stadium. However, Wen Johnson still managed to do so, and a viral video has shown how he pulled off the stunt.
He first jumped over the high fence in front of the seats, then evaded a bunch of security guards, and tripped over an advertising board, but still managed to get up and run onto the field.
Watch:
How the man with palestinian support shirt breached the pitch during world cup final. Stuff of legends! pic.twitter.com/isMg6pzrA2
— Hassan (@Gotoxytop2) November 20, 2023
Meanwhile, a statement from the Crime Branch issued on Monday stated that Wen Johnson pulls off such stunts for publicity.
“Johnson is in the habit of associating himself with any current international issue and invading fields just to get publicity to become famous as a TikToker,” the release said.
“A probe has revealed his father is of Chinese origin while his mother is from The Philippines. He lives in Sydney and works with a solar panel firm,” it added.
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ICC World Cup 2023 IND vs AUS Wen Johnson