Dubai: ICC instructs the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) to conduct detailed investigations into the behavior of Afghan fans collected outside the Dubai International Stadium for the T20 World Cup Super 12 matches between their countries and Pakistan.
More than 16,000 tickets have been spent on Friday night matches between Pakistan and Afghanistan, but thousands of fewer ticket fans go to the venue and then try to force their way in the stadium location.
“Dubai police and security staff secured the stadium to ensure the security of everyone inside and carry significant additional resources to disperse the crowd and calm the situation,” ICC said in a statement.
“At 7 pm, Dubai police directed that all gates must remain closed and no further entries were allowed to maintain a safe and controlled environment in the venue.” Government agencies have asked the ECB to learn lessons from incidents and work with the authorities to ensure that there is no repetition of this situation in the future.
“ICC, BCCI and the ECB apologize to any fans with a valid ticket that cannot enter the stadium tonight and ask them to contact the ticket provider,” added the statement.
Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by five numbers to register their third consecutive victory in the Super 12 exhibition stage.