Fan invaded pitch during Afghanistan vs England Champions Trophy match© AFP
The Champions Trophy 2025 once again experienced an instance of pitch invasion as a fan ran into the ground after Afghanistan’s win over England on Wednesday. Following Afghanistan’s thrilling victory in Lahore, a fan invaded the pitch and ran in to hug the players. However, he was caught by the security officials and escorted out of the field. This was not the first time that such incident happened during the competition as a fan ran into the field and tried to grab New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra during the match against Bangladesh on Monday. Following the incident, media outlets reported that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took serious note of the security breach.
“The PCB has taken serious note of the security breach that occurred yesterday when a spectator entered the field of play. Ensuring the safety of players and officials remains our top priority,” the board said on Tuesday as quoted by Dawn.
“The individual involved was arrested and presented before a court of law today. In addition, he has been permanently banned from entering all cricket venues in Pakistan. “The individual involved was arrested and presented before a court of law today. In addition, he has been permanently banned from entering all cricket venues in Pakistan,” the statement added.
However, a similar incident raised questions about the steps taken by PCB.
Opener Ibrahim Zadran‘s 177 and five wickets by Azmatullah Omarzai helped Afghanistan knock England out of the Champions Trophy with a thrilling eight-run victory on Wednesday.
Afghanistan posted 325-7 in a virtual knockout tie in Lahore and then bowled out England for 317 in 49.5 overs to stay alive in the race for a semi-final place while England have no chance of reaching the last four.
Joe Root‘s 120 went in vain as England lost regular wickets to lose their second straight ODI to the Afghans after their shock defeat in the 2023 World Cup in India.
Needing 13 off the last six balls with one wicket in hand, pace bowler Omarzai kept calm to give away just four runs and dismiss Adil Rashid.
(With AFP inputs)
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