PSL Exhibition Match Briefly Halted After Blast Near Stadium, Babar Azam, Shahid Afridi Moved To Safety

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) exhibition match between Babar Azam-led Peshawar Zalmi and Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Quetta Gladiators at the Nawab Akbar Bugti Stadium in Quetta was halted for a while after an explosion occurred in the Police Lines area on Sunday. Players like Babar Azam and Shahid Afridi were brought to the safety of the dressing room after the terror attack a few miles away from the stadium.

The blast occurred at Musa Chowk in Quetta, about 15 to 20 minutes from the city’s Bugti Stadium, injuring five people. A senior police officer reported that all necessary rescue work was done on the spot and the injured were shifted to the hospital. The game is a special attempt to bring the PSL action to the city, after pressure from Baloch fans, as it has not been able to host the league so far despite having its own team.

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The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement issued on Sunday. It is said that the explosive was targeted at the security officials.

“As soon as the explosion happened, as a precautionary measure, the match was stopped and players taken to the dressing room for a while. Later, after the green signal, the match resumed,” the police official said.

Exclusive scenes from Bugti Stadium Quetta, PSL exhibition match was stopped because few people from crowd have pelted stones in the ground. Also an bomb has blasted in Quetta but that was far away from venue. Some people also burned fire outside the ground. #PSL2023 #PSL8 #PZvQG pic.twitter.com/FjE7Hx61p3

— Ahmad Haseeb (@iamAhmadhaseeb) February 5, 2023

Sports activities have come to a complete halt in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, which has been plagued by unrest for the past few years due to the weak security situation and fear of terrorist attacks.

Shahid Afridi and other former players of the Pakistan team are competing alongside the current players of the team. Babar Azam, who traded from Karachi Kings, will make his debut for Peshawar Zalmi this year. The match resumed in front of an enthusiastic crowd despite the explosion.

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