The International Cricket Council (ICC) has requested the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) to launch an investigation on the crowds’ behaviour ahead of the high-voltage clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan on Friday.
Incidentally, the ICC confirmed that more than 16000 tickets had been sold for the match between the two sides, but many ticketless supporters attempted forced entry. Despite that, fans from both Pakistan and Afghanistan tried to break into the stadium. Dubai Police had to come out in full force to bring the situation under control and ensure safety.
Watch the clip here:
Fans without tickets entering the Dubai International Stadium earlier today #PAKvAFG #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/2spphD0XaI
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) October 29, 2021
As per recent reports, the ICC has asked the ECB to launch an investigation on the said incident. However, there were reports of any casualties.
“The ICC has asked the ECB to undertake a thorough investigation into tonight’s events to learn any lessons and will work closely with authorities to ensure there is no repeat of this situation in the future. The ICC and ECB apologise to any fans with valid tickets who were unable to enter the stadium tonight and request they contact the ticket provider,” ICC said in a statement.
The ICC has released a statement regarding the situation with the crowds during the match between Pakistan and Afghanistan today.#PAKvsAFG | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/ZZXMCCSfqB
— Grassroots Cricket (@grassrootscric) October 29, 2021
Speaking at the end of the game, Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi requested the fans to refrain from such behaviour.
“For the Afghan fans, please buy a ticket and come to the stadium. Don’t repeat again. This is not good,” he said during the post-match press conference.
Pakistan meanwhile, had the last laugh beating Afghanistan by five wickets in the nail-biting clash. After a superlative effort with the bat where they posted 147 runs, Afghan bowlers bowled exceedingly well to keep themselves floating in the game. But Asif Ali’s 19th over brilliance where he smacked four sixes off Karim Janat helped Pakistan sail past the target with one over to spare.