Pakistan Cricket Team was mistaken for asylum seekers by English protesters in the United Kingdom as an ongoing protest in the UK took a bizarre turn. A group of anti-immigrant protesters in Portsmouth briefly confronted the Pakistan Under-19 cricket team after mistaking the players for asylum seekers.
The incident occurred outside the four-star Marriott hotel on the southern English coast, where the team was staying during their multi-format tour of England. Masked protesters gathered after reports circulated of around 40 men who “did not seem English” arriving at the hotel by coach.
Pakistan Cricket Team mistaken for asylum seekers by anti-immigrant protests in England
Local Reform councillor George Madgwick quickly intervened as he told the group: “You’ve got it wrong, guys, it’s a cricket club.” Madgwick also spoke to the team’s coach, who was described as understanding and called the incident a “massively unfortunate incident,” as per a report in the Guardian.
The protesters left within a couple of minutes once the misunderstanding was clarified. Madgwick later said the situation arose because people in Portsmouth were “already on high alert” and the coach resembled those sometimes used to transport migrants. It comes after hundreds of people, many wearing balaclavas, were involved in a clash with the police in Portsmouth following a dinghy from France, while the police investigate potential assaults and criminal damage.
Meanwhile, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) contacted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to check on the players and review security arrangements for the rest of the tour. The Pakistan U-19 side had recently won their first Youth One-Day International of the series by a large margin and still had further matches scheduled.
ALSO READ: Asia Cup: IND vs BAN women's semifinal schedule, date, time, live info, h2h, squads and more