WATCH: Bengaluru Police take swift action to halt ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ chant during PAK vs AUS ODI World Cup match

Australia and Pakistan are clashing against each other in the 18th match of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, October 20. Asked to bat first, the Australian team displayed a magnificent batting performance and put up a total of 367 runs in the first innings.

Meanwhile, during the match, a notable incident unfolded as local police took swift action to halt a spectator donning a Pakistan team jersey from chanting ‘Pakistan Zindabad.’ As the crowd’s enthusiasm reached a fever pitch, a bunch of Pakistani supporters began the chant, which translates to “Long live Pakistan.” The Bengaluru police, demonstrating their commitment to maintaining a peaceful and unbiased atmosphere, immediately intervened. 

Watch the video here:

Pakistan’s citizens, including fans and journalists, have encountered difficulties in obtaining visas from the Indian government to attend the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023. Given the currently extremely strained relations between the two neighbouring countries, it has been reported that the Indian government has been sparing in granting visas to individuals from Pakistan.

Brilliant batting performance by Australia

Talking about the match, Pakistan are tasked with chasing down a substantial target of 368 runs. In the first innings, Australia, after being asked to bat first, achieved a total of 367 for 9 within the allotted 50 overs. David Warner notched up a remarkable 163 runs from a mere 124 deliveries, featuring 14 boundaries and 9 maximums. In contrast, Mitchell Marsh contributed 121 runs from 108 balls, forming an impressive partnership of 259 runs alongside Warner for the opening wicket.

Australia seemed poised to score significantly more than 400 runs, but Shaheen Afridi‘s five-wicket performance assisted Pakistan in making a late comeback. In pursuit of a target of 368 runs, led by Babar Azam, Pakistan got off to a promising start. As of the time of creating this report, they had reached a score of 134 without losing any wickets in the 21st over.