Incidents of stone-throwing marred an exciting second one-day cricket match between traditional rivals Pakistan and India at the National Stadium in Karachi yesterday.
India eventually won by four wickets to square the series after a cliff hanger. They had been set an imposing target of 266-runs to chase in 47 overs after match referee Ranjan Madugalle decided to put an end to Pakistan's innings due to stonethrowing incidents by the crowd. Pakistan were 265-4 in 47.2 overs.
Four Indian players were hit while fielding on the boundary lines, and Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar led his team to the pavilion.
"I used my good offices to influence Sachin to stay on the ground three times but my prime responsibility is to ensure the safety of players," referee Madugalle said. "But we continued the match for the sake of cricket."
Pakistan coach Haroun Rashid termed the incidents "unfortunate" and said that the capacity crowd was deprived of some good action. Indian captain Tendulkar retorted: "Enough is enough." But afterwards Tendulkar said: "No hard feelings. The crowd got excited."
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