The Lancashire authorities have reportedly said they will conduct an internal investigation into the incident where a Pakistani man was asked to hide his T-shirt, which resembled the Pakistan National team’s jersey, during the India vs England fourth Test at Old Trafford.
The India vs Pakistan controversies have anyway hit an all-time high, as the cricket feud has been fueled by the political tensions between the two nations. The toll of the rivalry has to be borne by the entire cricket fraternity, as the heat has been unleashed in the India vs England series as well.
Though the incident that took place at Old Trafford has been heard of only from the Pakistani fan’s end, the Lancashire reports are awaited, though the cricket authority has confirmed that such an incident did occur and they are looking into the matter.
The fan named Farooq Nazar, according to Pakistani media, went to watch the India vs England match at Old Trafford, and he posted a social media post that marked a ground staff member urging him to cover up his shirt, which was a replica of the Pakistan National Cricket Team’s traditional green white-ball jersey.
The security personnel identified himself as a part of Lancashire and said, “I’ve been asked by control if you can cover that shirt up, please.” Later, the steward was also marked as saying, “the shirt might be considered nationalistic.”
The social media video has shown the Pakistani man being left infuriated by the request from the Lancashire authorities and eventually being taken aside away from the stands by a police officer. This showed that the authorities were all involved in the action, which left the fan feeling insulted as he decided to leave the venue instead of removing his shirt.
“We are aware of the incident referenced and are taking steps to understand the facts and context surrounding the matter fully,” said a Lancashire spokesperson, indicating that they are looking into the matter.
Lancashire have links with India and the BCCI
In recent years, the relations between the Indian Cricket Board, the BCCI, and the English Cricket Board, the ECB, have seemed to have grown better. The Lancashire board has openly spoken about building relations with the Indian board.
There were also reports that Manchester Originals, a team in ‘The Hundred,’ a competition held by the ECB that involves 100 balls in an innings and includes players from around the world, are set to give 70% of their ownership to the Indian RPSG group, owned by Lucknow Super Giants owner Sanjiv Goenka.
Also, there were talks that reported Lancashire’s Chief Executive Daniel Gidney has suggested giving the BCCI a stake in the 100-ball tournament.
