Bomb blast near PSL exhibition match in Pakistan

The eighth season of Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be played on February 13. And before that, an exhibition match was organized by the PSL franchise Quetta Gladiators. Sarfraz Ahmed’s Quetta Gladiators face Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi in this friendly match. This match was held in a stadium in Balochistan province of Pakistan. And during this match, a terrible bomb blast took place very close to the stadium.

According to Pakistani news sources, this terrible bomb blast took place in Pakistan’s Baluchistan. And the incident happened during the exhibition match of PSL. The distance from the stadium to the venue is not too far. The whole city was under tight security for this match of Babar Azam. But even after that, this suicide bomb blast happened. After that, the question whether Pakistan is safe for cricket has been raised. There is a storm of discussion, criticism and condemnation on social media.

Five people were injured in the explosion. Star cricketers like Pakistan’s current captain Babar Azam and former captain Shahid Afridi were present in that PSL friendly match. Soon after the incident, Babar Afridi and other cricketers were taken to a safe place. And the match was called off for some time. And then there was excitement on social media. However, the match was started later when the situation was normal.

A police message said, “The explosion happened a few miles away from the stadium. And with this incident, precautionary measures were taken for the players. The match was stopped due to safety concerns. The players were removed from the field and taken to a safe place in the dressing room. Later after receiving the green signal. The match resumes from where it left off.”

The injured were taken to the hospital. It is believed to have some connection with terrorists. Pakistani media reported that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. It is also known that this bomb blast was aimed at security personnel. It may be noted that Quetta has not witnessed any sports in the last few years due to the fragile situation and constant threat of attacks. But this friendly match of PSL was organized by the organization of PCB and Quetta Gladiators. Meanwhile, cricket fans have expressed concern over this incident. Many on social media are saying how they expect international cricket teams to visit Pakistan even after this incident between Pakistani cricketers during a match.