Kolkata Police has detained four people in connection with the incident. However, the nationalities of the people are yet to be known.
Kolkata: A man was caught on camera waving a Palestine flag and launching a ‘Free Palestine’ campaign during Pakistan’s ODI World Cup 2023 encounter against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday. In a photo that went viral on social media, the man was seen climbing on a dias and flashing the Palestine flag. Although ICC is yet to comment on the matter, but according to PTI, the local police have detained four people in connection with the incident. The incident has come to light in the wake of Israel’s offensive on Gaza strip following Hamas’ attack on Israel.
Since the distance between Bangladesh and Kolkata is small, thousands of Bangladeshi fans have come to the City of Joy to witness their national team playing at the iconic Eden Gardens. Led by Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh played two games in Kolkata against Netherlands and Pakistan, losing on both occasions.
It is yet to be known whether the people detailed are locals or have travelled from Bangladesh. Meanwhile, the match witnessed an official attendance of 27,940 in the 67,000-capacity Eden Gardens. Bangladesh endured a second straight defeat to be knocked out of the World Cup.
Earlier, Pakistan first dismissed Bangladesh for 204 and then returned to overhaul the target, reaching 205/3 in 32.3 overs for their third win of the tournament. Abdullah Shafique (68) and Fakhar Zaman (81) slammed fifties and once they were dismissed, Mohammad Rizwan (26) and Iftikar Ahmed (17) knocked off the remaining runs.
Opting to bat, Mahmudullah made a 70-ball 56 but Bangladesh couldn’t get any momentum as they lost wickets regularly. Litton Das (45), Shakib Al Hasan (43) and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (25) were the other batters to reach double figures.
For Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi (3/23) and Mohammad Wasim Jr (3/31) were the most successful bowlers with three-wicket hauls, while Haris Rauf (2/36), Iftikhar Ahmed (1/44) and Usama Mir (1/66) were also among wickets.
With PTI Inputs