Watch: Pakistan’s Khushdil Shah loses cool, gets involved in crowd trouble in New Zealand

Pakistan’s Khushdil Shah loses cool, gets involved in crowd trouble in New Zealand

Ugly scenes erupted during the third and final ODI between New Zealand and Pakistan at the Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui. Pakistan all-rounder Khushdil Shah lost his temper and charged towards some fans, to be dragged away by security staff. It's not known what exactly triggered the rush of blood, as Khushdil charged aggressively towards a section of the supporters. Maybe, some fans taunting him over his team's performance prompted the player to lose his cool. Pakistan lost yet again to concede the series 3-0.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) alleged that some fans used abusive language towards the player. According to them, Khushdil decided to deal with it aggressively when he heard anti-Pakistan slogans. Watch the video from the ground here...

Pakistani cricketer Khushdil Shah got beaten in the New Zealandpic.twitter.com/1m8Qyfz8P9
BALA (@erbmjha) April 5, 2025

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“The Pakistan cricket team management has strongly condemned the abusive language directed at national players by foreign spectators. During the match today, foreign spectators hurled inappropriate remarks at cricketers present on the field,” the PCB said in its statement.

“When anti-Pakistan slogans emerged, cricketer Khushdil Shah stepped in and urged the spectators to refrain. In response, Afghan spectators escalated the situation by using further inappropriate language in Pashto. Following the Pakistani team's complaint, stadium officials intervened and ejected the two disruptive spectators,” the statement added.

Pakistan players taking matters into their own hands to deal with the crowd has happened before. In 1997, during an India-Pakistan game in Toronto, Inzamam-ul-Haq had lost his cool, with a fan heckling the player by repeatedly calling him “aloo” (potato), via a megaphone, ostensibly due to his bulk.

Inzamam, known for his calm demeanour, shocked everyone when he charged into the stands, grabbing a bat on his way. He wanted to confront the fan but the security personnel rushed in to defuse the situation. Inzamam was later reprimanded by the match officials. Coming back to today's game, Pakistan lost by 43. They also lost the preceding T20I series against New Zealand 4-1.