Fans on a rampage at Afg-Pak cricket fixture

Article posted by Coliseum, November 3^rd, 2021

Image: ICC

Afghanistan T20 international team skipper Mohammad Nabi pleaded for T20 World Cup calm on October 29^th after thousands of ticketless fans tried to storm the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (UAE) for the high-profile clash against neighbors Pakistan.

The ‘Times of India’ stated that all tickets had been sold for the game but the chaos meant that many fans who had bought tickets were prevented from entering the facility. Nabi asked Afghan fans to buy tickets to watch the team’s remaining matches in the tournament.

The 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is the seventh ICC Men’s T20 World Cup tournament with the matches taking place in the United Arab Emirates and Oman from October 17^th and will continue till November 14^th, 2021. The West Indies are the defending champions.

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The 25,000-capacity Dubai International Stadium, formerly known as the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium, is a multipurpose stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is mainly used for cricket and is one of three stadiums in the country, the other two being the 27,000 Sharjah Cricket Stadium and the 20,000-capacity Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Said Nabi after his team had lost by five wickets, “For the Afghan fans, please buy a ticket and come to the stadium. Don’t repeat this again. This is not good.”

The ‘Times of India’ further stated that the International Cricket Council (ICC) apologized to ticket holders who could not enter the stadium where the final will also be staged on November 14^th.

Dubai (UAE)-headquartered the International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England and South Africa. It was renamed as the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1987.

An ICC statement sent out read, “More than 16,000 tickets had been issued for tonight’s game between Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, thousands of ticketless fans traveled to the venue and then attempted to force entry into the stadium. The Dubai Police and the security staff secured the stadium to ensure the safety of everyone inside and brought in significant additional resources to disperse the crowd and calm the situation. The ICC, hosts Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) apologizes to any fans with valid tickets who were unable to enter the stadium.”

The statement further read, “The ICC has asked the ECB to undertake a thorough investigation into the incident to learn any lessons and will work closely with authorities to ensure there is no repeat of this situation in the future.”

The chaotic situation which broke out on October 29^th brought back memories of the 2019 50-over World Cup clash between the two teams in Leeds (UK) which was scarred by fighting and a pitch invasion.

Mumbai (India)-headquartered the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the governing body for cricket in India and is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India. The Board was formed in December 1928 as a Society, registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act.

Sharjah (UAE)-headquartered the United Arab Emirates Cricket Board is the official governing body of the sport of cricket in United Arab Emirates. The United Arab Emirates Cricket Board is United Arab Emirates’s representative at the International Cricket Council (ICC) and is an Associate Member and has been a Member of that body since 1990.

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