There were tense scenes rarely seen at a cricket match when fans clashed and charged onto the pitch following Pakistans 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.
Also on rt.com Violent scenes as Pakistan and Afghanistan fans clash at Cricket World Cup (VIDEO)
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.
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#PAKvAFGRead More – Source
There were tense scenes rarely seen at a cricket match when fans clashed and charged onto the pitch following Pakistans 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.
Also on rt.com Violent scenes as Pakistan and Afghanistan fans clash at Cricket World Cup (VIDEO)
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.
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#PAKvAFGRead More – Source
