Watch: Angry Afghanistan fans damage Sharjah property after high voltage Asia Cup match
While the Super 4 clash of the 2022 Asia Cup between Pakistan and Afghanistan produced a thrilling contest, it got ugly between the two sets of fans in the stands as footage of Pakistani and Afghani fans indulging in violence has gone viral on social media. Former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar also shared a video highlighting the misdemeanor of the Afghan fans after their team was eliminated from the Asia Cup.
Chasing a modest target of 130 runs, Babar Azam’s team faced a spirited Afghani bowling unit that pushed his team all the way. But things got ugly in the 19th over of the hotly contested affair when Asif Ali’s dismissal leading the batter, and the bowler almost coming to blows. Asif Ali and Fareed Ahmad exchanged a few words as the former raised his bat close to Fareed’s face, and they pushed each other before Afghanistan players rushed to separate the two.
What followed was utter chaos as Afghanistan, who were on the brink of victory, needing a solitary wicket, were stunned by Pakistan’s no. 10 Naseem Shah. The bowling star gobsmacked the crowd and the players by smacking two consecutive maximums in the first two balls of the final over to steal an epic win for the Men in Green.
Though reports suggest that both sets of fans were involved in violence in the aftermath of the results, former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar accused the Afghan fans of the violence in the stands. He revealed that they have been involved in such kinds of violent activities in the past on multiple occasions.
“This is what Afghan fans are doing. This is what they’ve done in the past multiple times. This is a game and it’s supposed to be played and taken in the right spirit,” Shoaib Akhtar took to Twitter and wrote.
Notably, both sides have been involved in some thrilling contests in the recent past, with Pakistan overcoming their opponents on all four previous occasions in a thrilling contest. The Afghan fans were furious as their team once again ended on the losing side after being on the cusp of victory.
