An exhibition match between Pakistan Super League (PSL) sides Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi at the Bugti Stadium in Quetta, Balochistan, was briefly halted after an explosion set off by a bomb rocked the Police headquarters and entrance of Quetta Cantonment has left multiple people injured.
The match between Babar Azam's Zalmi and Sarfaraz Ahmed's Gladiators was at 10.3 overs when the match was called off. The home side were on 63/4, with Iftikar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah on the pitch at the time.
The blast took place near the FC Mussa checkpoint, according to the Pakistani news site Dawn.com. This left more than five people injured. The local media reports also added that these explosions took place in a secure area near the Quetta Police headquarters and the entrance of Quetta Cantonment.
While reports on social media that did the rounds suggested that the match was stopped because of the bomb blast, other contradicting reports mention that stones were pelted into the stadium and a fire was also lit.
The match restarted after about 30 minutes, with the players' safety assured and reported security checks across the stadium and the neighbouring areas. The first innings ended with the Quetta Gladiators setting a target of 185 for the loss of just 6 wickets after Iftikhar Ahmed smashed Wahab Riaz for 6 sixes in the final over to finish with an unbeaten 94 off 50 balls.
