An amazing display of cricketing skills by the players of Pakistan and Afghanistan was marred by the incidents related to hooliganism and forceful entries by the ticketless fans, most of Afghanistan cricket as their skipper Mohammad Nabi even asked during his post-match press conference for them to not repeat it in other games.
The International Cricket Council has taken note of the incident which was probably the first of its kind after the building of new stadiums in the United Arab Emirates. Issuing a statement, the world body said that it has asked Emirates Cricket Board, the body of cricket governance in UAE to investigate the matter thoroughly.
“More than 16,000 tickets had been issued for tonight’s game between Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, thousands of ticketless fans travelled to the venue and then attempted to force entry into the stadium,” the ICC said in a statement.
“Dubai Police and security staff secured the stadium to ensure the safety of everyone inside. At approximately 7 pm, Dubai Police directed that all gates should remain closed and no further entry was permitted to maintain a safe and controlled environment inside the venue.
“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,” it added.
The ICC further apologised to fans who couldn’t attend the game even after having valid rockets because of the incident.