5 occasions when cricket matches were called off due to violence

#4 Pakistan vs England, Leeds, 2001

Fans invade the pitch during the 2001 NatWest Series

The 2001 NatWest tri-series featuring hosts England, Australia and Pakistan was in the news less for the cricket and more for the pitch invasions, which were quite the order of the day throughout the series.

However, the worst of them came during an encounter between Pakistan and England in the round-robin stage. Waqar Younis’s stellar performance ensured that England were bundled out for a paltry 156 in their innings.

The Pakistanis never looked in trouble while chasing and were within striking distance of their target when all hell broke loose. A large bunch of over-enthusiastic fans rushed on to the pitch forcing the players to evacuate the field.

A steward bore the brunt of the unruly supporters as he was beaten up badly in an attempt to protect the stumps from them and suffered multiple injuries. Due to the incidents that had occurred, England skipper Alec Stewart hastily decided to concede the match to the opponents instead of taking the field again.