Afghanistan fans express their disappointment violently in stands after a defeat against Pakistan

The thrilling clash between Afghanistan and Pakistan didn’t go down as smoothly as expected. A fine low scoring match eventually presented a competition like never before.  The emotions of the spectators stretched thin as the chase unfolded. Afghanistan put their all to defend the score of 130. And were almost successful as they scalped 9 wickets with 11 runs yet to be scored by Pakistan to win. It almost seemed like a victory for Afghanistan. However, the 19-year-old bowler Naseem Shah hit two sixes in the last over to claim the victory.

A match of such palpable nature was sure to play on the nerves of the players and the spectators alike. And how the scenes unfolded, both of them proved unsuccessful in the face of pressure. First, the audience witnessed an ugly altercation between Pakistani batter Asif Ali and Afghanistani bowler Farid Ahmad in the 19th over. And then after Pakistan’s win, agitated Afghanistani fans created violent scenarios in the stands.

As soon as the match and presentation wrapped, videos of spectators uprooting chairs and throwing them at the other team’s supporters surfaced on the internet. This is not the first time where the Afghanistani and Pakistani fans have engaged in a brawl in the stands. However, such violent and dangerous scenarios are always condemned by everyone unanimously.

Sharing the video on Twitter, former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar condemned the actions in strong words. “This is what Afghan fans are doing. This is what they’ve done in the past multiple times. This is a game and it’s supposed to be played and taken in the right spirit. @ShafiqStanikzai your crowd & your players both need to learn a few things if you guys want to grow in the sport,” Akhtar wrote.

However, former ACB CEO Shafiq Stanikzai retorted with a stern reply to Akhtar. “You can’t control the emotions of the crowd and such incidents happened in the world of cricket multiple, you should go ask Kabir Khan, Inzamam Bhai and @iRashidLatif68 how we treated them. Am giving you an advice, next time baat ko nation pe Mat lena.”