Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar criticized the Afghanistan cricket fans for damaging the Sharjah Cricket Stadium following an Asia Cup 2022 defeat against Pakistan on Wednesday, 7 September.
The green shirts handed Afghanistan a one-wicket defeat in a thrilling contest, which sparked a chaotic bedlam in the stadium following the conclusion of the match. In a video which was now gone viral on social media, alleged Afghan fans were seen breaking the chairs of the Sharjah Cricket Stadium and also attacking the Pakistani supporters.
Shoaib Akhtar shared the video on Twitter, claiming the incident was not a one-off, but the Afghan fans have done similar things ‘multiple times’ in the past. “This is what Afghan fans are doing. This is what they've done in the past multiple times. This is a game and its 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.” he wrote.
Misdemeanour Will Not Be Tolerated: Shoaib Akhtar
Besides the clash of the supporters, the players also got involved in a scrap on the field when Fareed Ahmad dismissed Asif Ali in the penultimate over. The Rawalpindi Express shared his opinion on the incident in another video, where he said misdemeanour on the field will not be tolerated by the Pakistani cricketer.
“We Pakistanis love and adore Afghanistan. We consider them our brothers and have supported them in their bad times. But why are you (Fareed Ahmad) misbehaving after taking Asif Ali’s wicket? This behaviour will not be tolerated, and this is why Allah taught you a lesson.”
Meanwhile, following this victory, Pakistan have qualified for the final of Asia Cup 2022. They will be up against Sri Lanka on Sunday, 11 September in the final fixture, whilst India and Afghanistan have been eliminated from the competition.
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