India’s opening World Cup game against Australia got off to a shaky start with Jarvis, better known as “Jarvo 69”, breaching the security and stepping onto the ground at the MA Chidambaram Stadium before the first ball of the match was bowled.

He had to be escorted out by security after several interactions with Indian players, including with KL Rahul and Virat Kohli, all while being in full Indian gear.

Following the incident, the ICC has released a statement saying that ‘Jarvo 69’ has been banned from attending any further games at the World Cup.

“We will work with the venue to understand what happened and consider if any additional security measures are required to prevent it happening again. The individual concerned has been banned from attending any further games at the event,” said an ICC spokesperson to PTI.

‘Jarvo 69’ has a long history of similar security breaches where he has crossed the fencing and the boundary hoardings and stepped onto the playing arena during international cricket matches.

Last year, he was charged with and found guilty of aggravated trespass after he collied with Jonny Bairstow on the ground during India’s fourth Test against England at the Kia Oval in London in 2021. Jarvo’s pitch-intrusion antics are posted on his YouTube channel, where he has more than 180,000 subscribers.

There have been lots of reactions around the cricket community with people questioning how he got a Visa to travel to India for the World Cup despite being charged for aggravated tresspass, and even if he did, how he managed to cross the fencing around the boundary and step into the ground at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

ICC’s statement on this incident and the banning of ‘Jarvo 69’ comes as a welcome move as concerns over security have grown following the breach.