Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi, on Friday night, asked his country’s fans to buy tickets and enter the stadium instead of forcing their way without a valid ticket at the T20 World Cup.

“Afghan fans, please buy tickets and come to the stadium, don’t repeat again, it’s not good,” Nabi said after his country’s ICC men’s T20 World Cup match against Pakistan.

In the match, Pakistan’s Asif Ali hit massive four sixes in the 19th over to give his team a five-wicket. Owing to this win, they recorded their third consecutive win at the T20 World Cup. Before beating Afghanistan, they beat India (by 10 wickets) and New Zealand (by 5 wickets).

Ticketless fans, mostly carrying Afghan flags, tried to enter the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The International Cricket Council (ICC) said that the police closed all the gates an hour after the game had started “to maintain a safe and controlled environment inside the venue.”

The match started while scores of fans outside the stadium were seen running toward the entrances. Those already inside had queued for hours and they generated a stunning atmosphere in a ground awash with color and energy.

But the closure of gates deprived numbers of fans entry despite having valid tickets.

“The ICC, BCCI and ECB apologize to any fans with valid tickets who were unable to enter the stadium tonight and request they contact the ticket provider,” the ICC said.

The ICC also said that it had asked the Emirates Cricket Board to undertake a thorough investigation into the Friday night’s events “to learn any lessons and will work closely with authorities to ensure there is no repeat of this situation in future.”

As far as the match is concerned, Asif Ali’s 7-ball 24 helped Pakistan beat Afghanistan. They now sit on top of the table with six points. Batting first, Afghanistan put up 146/7 in 20 overs. In reply, Pakistan lost 5 wickets but were able to pull off a tricky chase. Afghan spinner Rashid Khan, during the match, became the fastest bowler to 100 T20I wickets.

(with inputs from Associated Press)