A ball boy runs following an explosion during the Pakistan v England test in Faisalabad. Julian Herbert / Getty Images
FAISALABAD, Pakistan - England opener Marcus Trescothick was left shocked and shaken after a gas cylinder exploded on the boundary while he was batting during the second cricket test against Pakistan.
The explosion from the cylinder, which was placed by a drinks dispenser, occurred in front of a packed stand
after the tea interval.
One policeman suffered minor injuries but no spectators were hurt, senior police official captain Amin Khan said.
"You don't expect things like that when you're out in the middle," said Trescothick, who was batting with Ian Bell at the time.
"Faisal (Nigel) our security man kept us together until we had worked out what had happened.
"My instant reaction was that it was something serious, but Faisal's instant reaction was it's probably a gas cylinder. I was a bit worried for a while after the explosion," he added.
"We (Bell and Trescothick) talked afterwards, but it takes times to switch back on just like you would after a drinks break or interval.
"Hopefully this is as bad as it gets, a bit of a shock to the system," he said.
Police have ordered the removal of all soft drinks dispensers from the Iqbal stadium Deputy Inspector General of Police, Khalid Farooq said.
"The explosion was accidental. Such dispensers are used everywhere in the world at sports venues but apparently this had to happen here," he said.
Initial investigations showed the cylinder burst because the pressure might have built up inside the dispenser in the heat.
The blast stopped play for nine minutes and led to the players moving to one side of the field as the police officials surrounded them.
Security arrangements for the England team on the tour have been very tight. Some 2,500 police personnel were deployed in and around the stadium.
Spectators have to pass through metal detector gates and go through body searches before entering the stadium. They are not allowed to take any hard objects inside. Closed circuit cameras and sniffer dogs are also being used.
- REUTERS
