Ahead of the fifth Ashes Test, the Australian and English cricket teams commended responders who rushed to the scene of the shooting.
Published January 4, 2026
The England and Australian cricket teams and the crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground paid tribute to emergency workers and members of the public who responded to the Bondi Beach shootings in December.
Before the fifth Test match of the Ashes series, which began on Sunday, both teams formed a guard of honor on the field, and the audience joined in with loud applause.
The loudest cheers from the packed crowd went to hero Ahmed Al-Ahmed. He ran up to one of the attackers, snatched his gun, put a sling over his right arm, and walked away.
The 43-year-old fruit shop owner was filmed tackling and disarming one of the attackers and was widely hailed as a hero, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling Mr Al Ahmed’s actions an example of “Australians coming together”.
Mr Al-Ahmed is a Syrian-Australian Muslim from the village of Al-Nairab, near Idlib, Syria. He is said to have immigrated to Australia in 2006.
Al-Ahmed was having lunch in the area when the shooting occurred and intervened.
Authorities described the shooting as an anti-Semitic terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, a popular tourist destination near the Sydney cricket ground.
Two men, later identified as father-son duo Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram, opened fire on Bondi Beach during a gathering for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, killing 15 people and injuring at least 42 others.
Cricket Australia boss Todd Greenberg called the attack a “devastating tragedy”.
“The incredible acts of courage by first responders and local residents at the scene of the Bondi attack reminded us of the spirit of community and self-sacrifice that unites us as a nation,” he said.
“Our thoughts remain with those affected by this devastating tragedy and we will continue to provide support in any way we can as a sport.”
Among those honored were emergency workers, police officers, surfing lifesavers and Jewish community groups.
Tight security is in place for the test, with uniformed mounted police as well as security forces and riot police officers patrolling the venue.
The measures mirror those of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, where specialist police were armed with semi-automatic rifles.
