The Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday said it had taken serious note of the security breach that occurred yesterday when a spectator entered the field of play during the ICC Champions Trophy match between New Zealand and Bangladesh.

Pitch invasion incidents are common in cricket and other sports across the globe when overeager fans enter the playing field to try and meet their favourite players in person. A pro-Palestinian protester in India broke through security cordons to invade the pitch at the ICC World Cup final in November 2023, stopping play briefly while he hugged superstar batsman Virat Kohli.

During the match in Rawalpindi, a fan entered the playing field and tried to hug New Zealand player Rachin Ravindra. He held a photograph of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Hafiz Saad Hussain Rizvi when he ran onto the pitch.

“The PCB has taken serious note of the security breach that occurred yesterday when a spectator entered the field of play. Ensuring the safety of players and officials remains our top priority,” the board said.

“As a responsible organisation, we have engaged with local security agencies, who have committed to increasing security personnel around the field of play at all venues and strengthening access control measures,” the statement said.

“The individual involved was arrested and presented before a court of law today. In addition, he has been permanently banned from entering all cricket venues in Pakistan,” it added.

“To prevent such incidents in the future, the PCB is working closely with security agencies and venue authorities to review and reinforce security protocols,” the statement concluded.

Answering a question by Dawn after the match, Ravindra said he was hoping his team would now emerge as the crowd favourites for the rest of the tournament after Pakistan was knocked out.

“The crowd’s been pretty good to us,” he said. “It’s just great to have a good crowd every time we play cricket and it definitely elevates the atmosphere of each game.”

The fan was escorted off the field by the security officials on duty shortly after they had entered the playing field.

The match continued with Ravindra striking a superb 112 to lead New Zealand into the Champions Trophy semi-finals with a five-wicket win over Bangladesh and in turn dump hosts Pakistan out of the semi-final race.

Pakistan, who won the previous edition of the Champions Trophy in 2017, lost to New Zealand and then India in the first International Cricket Council (ICC) event they are hosting since the 1996 ODI World Cup.

FIR registered against spectator for pitch invasion

Meanwhile, a case has been registered at the New Town police station against the spectator who entered the ground during the match.

The first information report (FIR) was registered on the complaint of station house officer New Town Anwarul Haq. The case is filed against Abdul Qayyum, who is a resident of Bahtar village in Attock.

The suspect has been charged with section 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and section 447 (criminal trespass) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

He entered the ground from the Yasir Arafat enclosure, according to the FIR, violating the law by scaling the security fence.

Court approves bail for the suspect

The suspect was presented today in the court of judicial magistrate Imran Qureshi where the investigation officer (IO) requested that the man be sent on judicial remand.

The IO said the suspect broke the law by violating security and should be sent to jail. Denying the request, the judge ordered the suspect to be released on bail of Rs 50,000, saying the sections filed in the FIR were bailable offences.

The judge said that the man should be sent to jail on judicial remand if he did not submit the bond.

Bail was later granted after the suspect paid and submitted the bond. Hearing of case was adjourned till March 11 with orders to the police to present the chargesheet.