Years after the infamous incident where Inzamam-ul-Haq attacked fans with bat over ‘Aloo’ jibe, another Pakistani cricketer charged towards fans, prompting security officials to intervene and drag him away. The altercation occurred after frustrated fans taunted the team over their humiliating clean sweep defeat by New Zealand in the ODI series.
The incident took place on Saturday after the Pakistani cricket team suffered defeat in the third and final ODI against New Zealand at the Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. In the three match ODI series, Pakistan suffered a clean sweep defeat at the hands of the Kiwi squad. Subsequently, when fans started taunting the Men in green, Pakistan all-rounder Khushdil Shah lost his cool. With in no time, he charged towards some fans after which the security officials present there, intervened and dragged him away before the scenes could have gotten any more uglier.
Incidentally, the Pakistani side had earlier lost the five-match T20I series with a 1-4 scoreline.
Following the disgraceful conduct of one of its cricketers, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued an official statement in which it tried to pin blame of the entire episode on “foreign spectators” alleging that they used abusive language towards the players.
As per the PCB statement, Khushdil Shah took matters into his own hands once he heard “anti-Pakistan” slogans.
The PCB stated, “The Pakistan cricket team management has strongly condemned the abusive language directed at national players by foreign spectators. During the match today, foreign spectators hurled inappropriate remarks at cricketers present on the field.”
The statement added, “When anti-Pakistan slogans emerged, cricketer Khushdil Shah stepped in and urged the spectators to refrain. In response, Afghan spectators escalated the situation by using further inappropriate language in Pashto. Following the Pakistani team’s complaint, stadium officials intervened and ejected the two disruptive spectators.”
Also Read: Part Time Cricketers, Full Time Islamists: Pakistan Cricket Team in a Nutshell
It is pertinent to note that the Pakistan team is currently going through a rough phase. Recently, the Mohammed Rizwan-led side failed to make a cut in the semi-final of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, a tournament which the Men in Blue won without dropping a match.
