Footage shows how pitch invader escaped security during World Cup final - WATCH

The much-anticipated ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final between India and Australia in Ahmedabad had to be paused after a pitch invader, identified as Wen Johnson from Australia, managed to evade security, jumped the boundary rope and raced onto the field and even approached Virat Kohli. He was surrounded by security officials from all sides and was taken off the field. This is not the first time Johnson has tried to get attention by racing on to the field during live sporting events. In August, he disrupted the Women’s World Cup football final between England and Spain. Back then he was wearing a ‘Free Ukraine’ T-shirt with ‘stop Putler’ printed on it. On that occasion, his actions caused a delay in the first half of the Women’s World Cup final.

Ahmedabad crime branch shares how Australian national Wen Johnson breached the security and invaded the pitch during Ind-Aus world cup final match, wearing t-shirt with pro-Palestine messages. The final between India and Australia was interrupted briefly #INDvsAUS @DeccanHerald pic.twitter.com/z2oyLp6jiY

— satish jha. (@satishjha) November 20, 2023

In the India vs Australia match on Sunday, Johnson, clad in red shorts and a white t-shirt ran on to the field with the messages ‘Stop bombing Palestine’ on the front and ‘Free Palestine’ on the back, along with a face mask in Palestine’s colors. Johnson is an Australian TikToker who is called Pyjama Man on Instagram. As per a Crime Branch release, he engages in such stunts for publicity, associating himself with current international issues to gain fame. MORE | Who is the pitch invader at India-Aus final? The release also revealed that Johnson’s father has Chinese origins, his mother from the Philippines, and he resides in Sydney while working for a solar panel firm. When he entered the stadium in the first innings, Johnson wore the blue jersey of the Indian team, with a white t-shirt carrying the ‘Free Palestine’ message beneath it. And as soon as he skirted the security officials, he removed the jersey before running towards Kohli. His stunt has resulted in legal consequences, as a Gandhinagar court on Monday remanded him to one-day police custody.