Pakistan's pace bowler Hasan Ali on Sunday got involved in a brawl with spectators during a cricket tournament held in Arifwala in the Punjab province. The Pakistani seamer, who last played for Pakistan in the 2022 Asia Cup was playing at a local cricket tournament, where the incident took place. The video of the incident has also surfaced on social media.
Ali was fielding on the boundary line when a spectator started taunting him for having missed a catch during Pakistan's 2021 T20 World Cup semi-final against Australia in the UAE. Hasan didn't react to the constant heckling for some time but was seen rushing towards him after a terse exchange of words with the man in the stands. While organizers saved the day, some of the members of the crowd expressed their disgust that Hasan's attitude didn't behove that of an international player.
A source close to Hasan said the bowler had lost his cool after the spectator used abusive language. "It got too much for Hasan who was playing in the tournament to promote local cricket," he said.
In the past, in similar incidents, Inzamam infamously rushed into the crowd and fought with a spectator during a Pakistan and India match in Toronto in the 1997 Sahara Cup.
Inzamam had reacted after the spectator kept on calling him "Aloo", and the portly batting artist from Multan had asked walked up to the stands of the Skating and Curling Club ground with the raised bat.
Similarly during a high-profile local tournament in Karachi, in 2010, Younis Khan beat up a spectator and dragged him into the dressing room for taunting and heckling him while he was returning after getting out.
Hasan might be called up as a reinforcement for the remaining two Tests against England in Multan and Karachi after the injury to Haris Rauf. Ali last played for Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022, which Pakistan lost in the final. He featured in the Super four match against Sri Lanka. The Lankan lions defeated Pakistan in that match by 5 wickets
