Cricket carnage: Madness as fans charge onto pitch after Pakistan v Afghanistan World Cup thriller
There were tense scenes rarely seen at a cricket match when fans clashed and charged onto the pitch following Pakistan’s thrilling win against Afghanistan in the World Cup at Headingley in England.
Pakistan won by three wickets with just two balls to spare, as they kept their semifinal chances alive in a spell-binding encounter against underdogs Afghanistan.
The Afghan team looked set to pull off a huge shock heading into the final five overs of the Pakistan innings, before skipper Gulbadin Naib – an opening batsman – bizarrely opted to bowl, resulting in an over during which he was smashed for 18 runs and Pakistan wrestled back control.
Imad Wasim hit an unbeaten 49 as he eventually steered his team to victory on 230/7, but tensions erupted at the end of the match amid a febrile atmosphere at Headingley.
The two sets of fans were seen clashing earlier in the day, with reports of some supporters being ejected from the ground while pictures of the carnage showed some fans throwing bins.
The fighting is believed to have been sparked when a plane flew overheard with the message 'Justice for Balochistan', referring to a region where nationalists have fought for independence from the Pakistani and Iranian governments.
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And when the end of the game came, tensions spilled over again as fans charged onto the pitch, some in celebration and others apparently in anger.
Ugly scenes at Headingley !! Afghan fans are beating Pakistani fan!!! Never seen such hate from even Indian fans!! Surely #PakistanVsNamakHaramspic.twitter.com/h1waJXhH9M
— Tanveer Khatana (@tanveer_khatana) June 29, 2019
There were reports of Afghan player Mohammad Nabi being taken out by a security guard as he chased pitch invaders, while ESPN Cricket said there was “rioting” in the stands as fans hurled drinks bottles at each other.
Website Cricbuzz described the scenes as “absolute chaos,” claiming that one Afghan player had been struck on the neck.
ABSOLUTE CHAOS: Fans clash, security breached. Pak fans invade the field. Nabi trips and then he is accidentally tackled by a security officer, who apologies immediately. One Afghan player gets hit on the neck. Crazy scenes. https://t.co/DLB2aJTXnP#PAKvAFG#CWC19
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) June 29, 2019
The scenes were more reminiscent of a football match than the calmness usually associated with cricket, and will likely lead to questions as to why organizers appeared to be caught out by the frenzied clashes.
The win means Pakistan now have a very real chance of pipping England to a spot in the semifinals, and they will be hoping great rivals India can do them a favor by beating the hosts when they meet at Edgbaston on Sunday.
Afghanistan, bottom of the table without a win in their eight matches and already eliminated, next face West Indies on Thursday.
