The police officers deployed at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium have taken a series of strict control measures to control the fans and avoid disruptions during the 2023 Cricket World Cup match between Australia and Pakistan in Bengaluru on Friday. Police asked fans not to wear black clothing as a sign of protest, although they did not ban anyone from wearing clothing of that specific color when entering the stands. However, the police asked fans not to use signs with provocative slogans.
“We have been instructed to check the placards and banners of fans before they enter the stadium so that no untoward incident takes place,” a stadium security official said on condition of anonymity.
B Dayanand, the city’s police commissioner, has issued special instructions to his officers in this regard, especially as the city had seen a number of protest marches in support of Palestine during the ongoing conflict with Israel.
Later, a video surfaced in X (formerly Twitter) in which a police officer told a fan in the stands not to shout slogans that might resonate with the rest of the spectators.
It was alleged that the police officer tried to stop the fan from shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’. “It is a word from the higher authorities that fans should not do any provocative acts. So we are following it,” the officer said.
David Warner and Mitchell Marsh hit blazing centuries as Australia scored 367 for 9 in their Cricket World Cup 2023 match.
For Pakistan, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi took five wickets.
Warner hit a 124-ball 163, while Marsh scored 121 off 108 deliveries as the two were involved in a 259-run opening partnership that formed the cornerstone of the grand total.
However, Australia suffered two blows as Marsh and all-rounder Glenn Maxwell (0) left one after the other with the score at 259, while Pat Cummins’ side suffered a minor setback.
Both wickets were taken by Afridi, who returned with figures of 5 for 54 in his 10 overs, while Haris Rauf scalped three wickets as Pakistan made up some ground towards the end of the innings.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl. Australia fielded an unchanged side, while Pakistan brought in Usama Mir in place of vice-captain Shadab Khan.
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