ICC hauls up Australia after pitch invasion
Perth, Feb. 1: The ICC has sought a report from Cricket Australia on the stunning breach of security during the fifth Australia-Pakistan ODI in Perth, during which a pitch invader downed visiting opener Khalid Latif.
"Obviously the ICC is very disappointed by the incident. There has been a clear security breach. We have asked CA to send us a detailed report on the incident before we can make any comment," an ICC spokesperson told a website
The 37-year-old man, who grabbed Latif from behind before wrestling him down on Sunday, has been charged with assault and trespass but has been granted bail. He will now appear in court on February 16.
The stadium authorities have banned the man from the venue for life.
Latif was not injured but was left shocked by the incident. "It shouldn’t be happening. It just should not be happening," Latif told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"It is not that big a deal to me because I am okay. I am not hurt. It was nothing too shocking, but it was still not what you want to have happening in a game of cricket," he added.
"The fans who go should remember why they go and they should not spoil it for the players and the other people at the ground. People should be at the game to support and enjoy the game. But it doesn’t make me angry, nothing like that because I am okay," he said.
Australian skipper Ricky Ponting was more scathing in his criticism and said had the invader touched any of his teammates, he would have taken his players off the field. "If I was the fielding captain tonight, I would have definitely brought all the players in and had a chat to them about how they felt about it," Ponting said. — PTI
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