3 instances when the crowd played spoilsport during a match
The crowd during the early 1990s had a big part to play in the games as well as they tend to rush towards the players once the matches get over. In India-Pakistan rivalries, the inspection from the crowd into the ground has been very intense and such has been the love towards the game from the fans in the stadium. However, the situation has sometimes gone out of hand.
Here are instances when crowd played spoilsport during a match:
Pakistan vs England, 2001
A NatWest tri-series featuring England, Pakistan and Australia in 2001 saw the crowd getting involved frequently. In the seventh ODI at Leeds, England batted first against Pakistan and were bowled out for just 156 with legendary seamer Waqar Younis’ seven-wicket haul proving too much for the host nation. In reply, the Pakistan side almost chased down the score with more than 10 overs in hand. However, with three runs to go, the crowd interfered in the game. England skipper Alec Stewart had to concede the opponents a victory eventually.
India vs Sri Lanka, 1996
India and Sri Lanka battled out in the semi-finals of the 1996 World Cup and an unfortunate incident happened in the ground that will be etched in the memories forever. Sri Lanka batted first and posted a big score of 251/7 in their 50 overs. In reply, India collapsed completely and were reeling at 120 for 8 in the 35th over mark when the crowd interfered in Kolkata. With the home nation on the verge of losing, the crowd threw bottles and set fire to some of the stands which eventually stopped the game and Sri Lanka were handed a win by default.
India vs West Indies, 1967
In the second Test between India and West Indies in 1966/67, the groundsmen sold extra duplicate tickets which frustrated the fans out in the stadium. The fans went on to fight with the policemen on the second day of the Test and West Indies opted to not play any more on the second day as a result.
