Organisers to review security after pitch invader sustains broken arm

Organisers of the Cricket World Cup are “reviewing circumstances” after a spectator sustained a broken arm at the end of the game between England and Afghanistan in Manchester on Tuesday.

The spectator ran on to the playing field at the end of the match and, as he approached players, was apprehended by stewards. He fell heavily and was subsequently taken to hospital where the broken arm was diagnosed.

But it is the events leading up to the incident that may concern organisers just as much. Earlier in the game another spectator – who had been sitting close to the group who came on at the end of the match – ran on to the pitch and removed the bails at both ends. He was not apprehended until he crossed the advertising hoardings on the opposite side of the ground.

Other spectators in the same stand claim passive stewarding did nothing to prevent the incident. They also claim the spectator – who they say was young and inebriated – was not removed from the ground but kept in a holding area by a public bar for several hours. As a result, they suggest there was little disincentive to deter other pitch invaders.

Pitch invasion is considered a criminal act in the UK. An announcement is made before each match warning spectators that anyone encroaching on the playing area will be prosecuted for aggravated trespass and could face heavy fines. A spokesperson for the Cricket World Cup was unable to clarify whether any further action had been taken against any of the pitch invaders.

“A spectator, who was involved in a pitch invasion at the England vs Afghanistan match, slipped awkwardly and suffered a suspected fracture of his arm,” the spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. “The individual discharged himself from medical care at Old Trafford before transportation to a local hospital was arranged.

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“CWC19 and the venues take the security of everyone involved in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup very seriously and we work closely together to ensure the highest safety standards are adhered to regarding spectators. CWC19 is thoroughly reviewing the circumstances of this accident with the venue.”

Armed police and a large numbers of stewards are no longer an unusual sight at sports events in the UK. The global heightened security threat, combined with a fear of further attacks on sportspeople – incidents such as the stabbing of Monica Seles and the assault on Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish during the derby match with Birmingham City spring to mind – have created a zero tolerance attitude towards spectators encroaching on to the playing area.

Andrew Symonds and Terry Alderman are among the players to have taken matters into their own hands when approached by pitch invaders. Symonds memorably stopped one such spectator especially abruptly with a shoulder barge in March 2008 while Alderman sustained a dislocated shoulder in November 1982 when tackling a spectator who had run on to the pitch and punched him.