The opening match of the Tri‑Nation T20 Series between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Sharjah was reportedly overshadowed once again by security concerns after groups of Afghan fans allegedly entered the stadium without tickets.
According to local media reports citing eyewitness accounts, a dedicated gate for spectators was broken down as ticketless supporters forced their way into the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The organizers of the tri‑series had already prepared for potential trouble, especially during Pakistan Afghanistan matches, given previous altercations between the two sets of fans. They had assigned separate enclosures, entry points, and even ticket colors: green for Pakistani supporters and blue for Afghan supporters.
Afghanistan’s captain, Rashid Khan, had also pleaded with supporters on both sides to refrain from creating unsavory scenes. Despite these arrangements, the breach reportedly occurred before the game got underway, raising fresh questions about crowd control at high‑stakes fixtures between the two teams.
The sides are scheduled to face off once more in the tri‑series, with a potential final between them also on the cards. All eyes will now be on how authorities address this fresh challenge in the coming games.
While the crowd incident drew headlines off the field, Pakistan produced a commanding performance on it, defeating Afghanistan by 39 runs to open the series on a winning note.
The Tri‑Nation event continues today, with Pakistan facing hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the second match of the tournament.