PSL exhibition game in Quetta reportedly stopped due to crowd trouble

A Pakistan Super League (PSL) exhibition match in Quetta’s Bugti Stadium on Sunday reportedly had to be stopped due to crowd issues, with trouble also brewing elsewhere in the city.

According to a report on Times Now, an exhibition match between the Babar Azam-led Quetta Gladiators and Sarfaraz Ahmed-led Peshawar Zalmi had to be stopped after angry spectators started a fire outside Quetta’s Bugti Stadium while also throwing stones from outside towards the ground.

Additionally, a blast took place close to the Quetta Police Lines when the match was taking place, the site of the explosion 15-20 minutes away from the stadium. At least five people have been injured in the blast that takes place days after the deadly bombing in a mosque in Peshawar more than 80 lives.

Tickets for the game, the first PSL fixture to take place in Balochistan, were sold out. According to Pakistani newspaper Express Tribune, all 14,000 tickets for the match, also the first competitive fixture in Quetta since Pakistan hosted Zimbabwe in an ODI in 1996, were sold out within two days. The report further stated that fans had turned up at the venue early as gates were closed by 9 am.

Besides current Pakistan skipper Babar and former captain Sarfaraz, the exhibition game also featured retired all-rounder Shahid Afridi as well as current stars such as Wahab Riaz, Umar Akmal, Iftikhar Ahmed, Usman Qadir, with ICC Elite Panel umpire Aleem Dar officiating in the game.

Iftikhar, who was part of the side that featured in last year’s Asia Cup as well as the T20 World Cup, would smash left-arm seamer Wahab for six sixes in the final over of the Quetta innings, remaining unbeaten on 94 off 50 deliveries and helping his team recover from a shaky start to post a competitive 184/5 on the board.

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