PSL exhibition match interrupted by crowd disturbance, bomb blast; Shahid Afridi, Babar Azam moved to safety

The T20 exhibition match between Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators in Quetta was stopped for a brief period Sunday afternoon.

Cricket Pakistan, a news portal, reported that the match was stopped due to disturbance in the crowd. Pakistani cricket enthusiasts reported on Twitter that the match had to be halted as some spectators had pelted stones on the ground.

A video showed some people hurling stones in the premises of the stadium allegedly because they didn't get a chance to witness the match as the stadium was jam-packed with fans.

Some even pointed out that the match was also halted because of a bomb blast near the Police headquarters and entrance of Quetta Cantonment Sunday afternoon.

Some of the top Pakistani players like Shahid Afridi and Babar Azam were asked to go into the safety of the dressing room during the stoppage.

The match restarted after about 30 minutes.

Quetta is under strict security due to the PSL cricket match.

Peshawar had won the toss and decided to bowl first against Quetta

People had gathered in large numbers in Bugti Stadium to see their star players Babar Azam, Shahid Afridi and Sarfraz Khan play in the exhibition match ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 8.

Over 13,000 tickets were sold for the exhibition match, PCB officials were quoted by Pakistan-based Geo News.

Strict security arrangements were made in the stadium and surrounding areas, with over 4,000 police and the Frontier Corps personnel guarding the premises, it reported.

The local district administration had imposed a complete ban on the use of drone cameras in and around the stadium. Fans were also prohibited from bringing any flag other than the Pakistani flag to the stadium to watch the match.

(This is a developing story. More details are awaited)

Published on: Sunday, February 05, 2023, 01:25 PM IST