Following their defeat in the third and final ODI against New Zealand on April 6 at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, Pakistan all-rounder Khushdil Shah engaged in a skirmish with fans. Khushdil ShahΒ was seen moving aggressively towards a group of fans, though the specific trigger for his reaction isn't immediately clear.
PCB's official statement after Khushdil Shah's fight with spectators
Reportedly, the fans had been consistently heckling Khushdil Shah about the team's overall performance during their tour of New Zealand. This included their 1-4 loss in the five-match T20I series and the subsequent 0-3 whitewash in the three-match ODI series. Ultimately, the continuous taunting seemed to get to the 30-year-old, leading him to confront the fans directly. Fortunately, other members of the team's support staff quickly intervened and escorted Khushdil away before the situation could escalate further.
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Meanwhile, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) then came up with an official statement addressing the incident. According to the PCB, some foreign spectators used abusive language directed at the players.
"The Pakistan cricket team management has strongly condemned the abusive language directed at national players by foreign spectators. During the match today, foreign spectators hurled inappropriate remarks at cricketers present on the field," the PCB said.
"When anti-Pakistan slogans emerged, cricketer Khushdil Shah stepped in and urged the spectators to refrain. In response, Afghan spectators escalated the situation by using further inappropriate language in Pashto. Following the Pakistani team's complaint, stadium officials intervened and ejected the two disruptive spectators," the statement added.
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Pakistan's struggles on the tour culminated in another disappointing performance in the third and final ODI, as they fell short by 43 runs, marking the end of their winless campaign. Despite the match being shortened due to rain, the team led by Mohammad Rizwan couldn't successfully chase down the target of 265 runs set by New Zealand.
While Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan managed to contribute with scores of 50 and 37 respectively, their efforts weren't enough to secure a victory. For a while, their partnership kept Pakistan in contention. However, once both of them were dismissed, the remaining batsmen couldn't rise to the occasion. Ultimately, the New Zealand team notched a comfortable win, completing a clean sweep of the ODI series with a 3-0 triumph.