ICC asks Emirates Cricket Board to investigate alleged forceful entry of ticket-less Afghan supporters

PTI, Oct 30, 2021, 12:26 PM IST

Dubai: The ICC has instructed the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) to conduct a detailed investigation into the unruly behaviour of the ticket-less Afghanistan fans gathered outside the Dubai International Stadium for the T20 World Cup Super 12 match between their country and Pakistan. More than 16,000 tickets had been issued for Friday night’s game between Pakistan and Afghanistan, but thousands of ticket-less fans travelled to the venue and then attempted to force their way through inside the stadium premises.

”Dubai Police and 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 said in a statement. ”At approximately 7pm, 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 governing body has asked the ECB to learn lessons from the incident and work closely with the authorities to ensure that there is no repeat of this situation in the future.

”The ICC, BCCI and ECB apologise to any fans with valid tickets who were unable to enter the stadium tonight and request they contact the ticket provider,” the statement added.

Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by five wickets to register their third consecutive win in the Super 12 stage of the showpiece.