Armed police to patrol Ashes Test after Bondi attack

Armed police will guard the final Ash Pit as part of increased security measures following a recent terrorist attack in the host city.

Uniformed and mounted police, as well as public order and riot police, will patrol the sold-out match at the Sydney Cricket Ground from Sunday.

This comes three weeks after two gunmen killed 15 people and injured many more at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach.

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the aim of increasing the visibility of long-armed rifles was to reassure the public and there was no threat to the public attending the SCG.

“Many people may not be used to seeing police carrying rifles at sporting events, but our goal here is to help the public feel safe and the police will be there,” he said.

“The difference will be in the visibility of long arms and a stronger presence. Otherwise police will target antisocial and unsafe behavior as usual.”

The measures mirror those in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where specialist police officers were armed with semi-automatic rifles and patrolled around the crowded stadium, a nearby park and the railway station.

Seven people remain in hospital across Sydney following the attack on Bondi on December 14. Six people remain in stable condition, while one is in critical but stable condition.

Suspected killer Naveed Akram, 24, faces 59 charges related to the attack, which includes 15 murders. Akram was shot by police at the scene and remained in a coma for days before being charged.

His father, Sajid Akram (50), was killed by the police on the spot.