The Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday said it had taken serious note of the security breach that occurred yesterday when a spectator entered the field of play during the ICC Champions Trophy match between New Zealand and Bangladesh.
Pitch invasion incidents are common in cricket and other sports across the globe when overeager fans enter the playing field to try and meet their favourite players in person.
During the match in Rawalpindi, a fan entered the playing field and tried to hug New Zealand player Rachin Ravindra. He held a photograph of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Hafiz Saad Hussain Rizvi when he ran onto the pitch.
“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.
“As a responsible organisation, we have engaged with local security agencies, who have committed to increasing security personnel around the field of play at all venues and strengthening access control measures,” the statement said.
“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,” it added.
“To prevent such incidents in the future, the PCB is working closely with security agencies and venue authorities to review and reinforce security protocols,” the statement concluded.
Speaking to Dawn after the match, Ravindra said he was hoping his team would now emerge as the crowd favourites for the rest of the tournament after Pakistan was knocked out.
“The crowd’s been pretty good to us,” he said. “It’s just great to have a good crowd every time we play cricket and it definitely elevates the atmosphere of each game.”
The fan was escorted off the field by the security officials on duty shortly after they had entered the playing field.
Pakistan, who won the previous edition of the Champions Trophy in 2017, lost to New Zealand and then India in the first International Cricket Council (ICC) event they are hosting since the 1996 ODI World Cup.
