Cricket which until now had just a few sparks of isolated hooliganism, booked its place among sporting notoriety as violence broke out after Pakistan beat their neighbours Afghanistan in their Asia Cup match in Sharjah on Wednesday night.
A venue that was once ostracized over match-fixing played host to scores of enraged Afghanistan supporters attacking their Pakistan counterparts in the stands in scenes usually akin to football hooliganism that prompted the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ramiz Raja to draw the line and take up the matter with the International Cricket Council.
“You can’t link hooliganism with cricket and this environment makes you sick. We will write to ICC, raise concerns and do whatever we can because the visuals were gruesome,” Raja told the media.
“This didn’t happen for the first time. Wins and losses are a part of the game. It was a gruelling contest, but emotions should have been kept in control. Until the environment is right, you can’t grow and go forward as a cricket-playing nation.
“So we are going to express our anguish and frustration to the ICC. We owe it to our fans, anything could have happened. Our team could have been in danger. So whatever the protocol is we will follow that and lodge our protest.”
Afghanistan stamped its stakes in the Asia Cup with an opening victory against Sri Lanka that created more interest in the championship that until now a calm history unbecoming of spectators tearing out seats and throwing them after rival fans while also throwing punches at others who were supporters of Pakistan.
According to eye witnesses the rowdy scenes were sparked by an on-field incident involving Pakistan batsman Asif Ali and Afghanistan fast bowler Fareed Ahmad after the former was dismissed.
Fareed appeared to throw mock punches in the face of Asif Ali who responded by
pushing Fareed back with his bat raised in reaction. The two players also exchanged what was said to be heated words.
It happened an over before Pakistan’s 19-year old tailend batsman Naseem Shah smashed two stunning sixes in the last over in a dramatically unbelievable climax in the face of a 130 target with Afghanistan on the threshold of victory.