The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken ‘serious note’ of a security breach that occurred when a spectator entered the field of play during the Bangladesh-New Zealand match in the ICC Champions Trophy at the Rawalpindi Stadium.
The board said in a statement that ensuring the safety of players and officials remains the top priority of the host nation.
“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.
During the group A match, a spectator entered the field of play evading the eyes of the security personnel. Pakistan is hosting an ICC event after 29 years
PCB also gave update on the individual, who was intercepted by the police after he entered the field. The invader who went in and tried to hug Monday’s centurion Rachin Ravindra was arrested shortly after the incident and handed over to the police.
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“The individual involved was arrested and presented before a court of law today (Tuesday). In addition, he has been permanently banned from entering all cricket venues in Pakistan, the statement read.
The board also gave assurance over the smooth conduct of the rest of the tournament.
“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.
The host nation is already out of the tournament after two consecutive defeats to New Zealand and the to arch-rival India. It needed a Bangladesh to beat New Zealand to stay alive for the race to semifinal but the Kiwis convincingly piped the Bangla Tigers by five-wickets.